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Cincinnati Children’s to Provide Healthcare to Neighborhood Schools

Monday, August 25, 2014

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center has been selected by South Avondale and Rockdale elementary schools, Hughes High School, and their local school decision-making committees to provide school-based healthcare for children and teens starting this school year.

Cincinnati Children’s stepped in last January on a temporary basis to cover healthcare at these schools when the previous non-profit provider, Neighborhood Health Care Inc., lost federal grant funding and abruptly closed its doors Dec. 31, 2013.

“We’re thrilled to be involved on a more long-term basis to provide continuity of care for children and teens in our neighborhood,” said Mona Mansour, MD, Director of Primary Care and School Health, Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s.

A team of people at Cincinnati Children’s has already started to work on staffing to provide 40 hours per week of health care services at each of the sites. Cincinnati Children’s personnel will be in the schools five days per week. The schools will be involved in the final stages of selection of all staff members.

“It will take a few weeks to get to the expanded staffing plan we’ve outlined,” said Lisa Crosby, DNP, Program Coordinator for School-based Health, Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s. “In the meantime, we will start out the school year with the same coverage as last year.” Cincinnati Children’s was providing two days of coverage per week at the two elementary schools and one day of coverage at Hughes High School on an interim basis last school year.

Cincinnati Children’s is currently reaching out to children and teens that need sports physicals, and to parents and families at the schools informing them of the longer-term role and expansion of services it will have in the schools.

“We see this as an investment in the health of our kids to ensure they get quality care where and when they need it,” said Dr. Mansour.

About Cincinnati Children’s

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center ranks third in the nation among all Honor Roll hospitals in U.S.News & World Report’s 2014 Best Children’s Hospitals. It is also ranked in the top 10 for all 10 pediatric specialties. Cincinnati Children’s, a non-profit organization, is one of the top three recipients of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health, and a research and teaching affiliate of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The medical center is internationally recognized for improving child health and transforming delivery of care through fully integrated, globally recognized research, education and innovation. Additional information can be found at www.cincinnatichildrens.org. Connect on the Cincinnati Children’s blog, via Facebook and on Twitter.