Officials push for expert medical staff at high school
By John Castelluccio, The Salem News, Beverly, Mass. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Student counterparts, who attended the School Committee session that night in preparation for the upcoming Student Government Day, were also excited at the prospect of the new health center.
"I would have loved to see this my freshman year," said senior and student mayor
Cameron said the nurses saw 1,431 students last year in more than 9,300 visits. Twenty-one percent of PVMHS students, about 389 teens, met with nurses for behavioral health counseling, she said, adding that school counselors and the school resource officer reported meeting with an additional 170 students who sought them out.
Cameron says the average for behavioral health issues reported by the 52 student-based health centers in the state is 26 percent of students.
She said about 300 Peabody students last year needed medication administered regularly for chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes. Nurses received 59 visits from students who experienced breathing trouble because their asthma wasn't being properly controlled.
Nineteen percent of students were diagnosed with asthma in 2009 and reported losing at least one school day for asthma-related illness. Cameron said it costs
Eight diabetic students made more than 1,500 visits to the nurse's office during the year.
Cameron said that "like any other large urban high school,"
Meanwhile, 16 percent of students reported "seriously considering suicide" in the past year.
The
Typical services offered at family centers are primary healthcare, physicals, reproductive services, nutrition counseling, health education, assessment and treatment of acute problems, workshops and referrals.
The
The startup costs and first two years of operation have already been covered with an
Mayor
Brennan said NSCHI anticipates health insurance reimbursements will cover any gap in funding, but the organization may turn to fundraising or other internal resources if necessary.
She also said health services are delivered to students regardless of their ability to pay. If students aren't insured, NSCHI assists them or their families to identify and enroll in insurance programs.
The health center is slated to open by the end of October.
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