Committee advances Child Health Equity Act to expand school-based services and data tracking

Councilwoman Felicia Porter, chair of the Baltimore City Council Public Health and Environment Committee, opened a committee hearing and said the panel would take testimony and consider Council Bill 25-0013, the Child Health Equity Act, a measure intended to expand access to comprehensive health services for Baltimore City students.

The Baltimore City Health Department’s Bureau of School Health described existing services and gaps. Francine Childs, acting deputy commissioner and assistant commissioner for the Bureau of School Health, said the department provides services to nearly 76,000 students through school health suites (in every school) and 13 school-based health centers (SBHCs). She said 4 SBHCs are operated by the Health Department, 8 by Baltimore Medical System and 1 by Johns Hopkins. Childs outlined services from emergency response and screenings to case management and EPSDT-level primary care in SBHCs.

Melina Turtle, director of the immunization program, told committee members that as of March 31 the City Schools compliance rate was 98.9 percent based on an enrollment of 76,292, with 843 students out of compliance. Turtle said those out of compliance are often on catch-up schedules, including students new to the city or country. The Health Department said it operates immunization clinics (two FTE nurses, clinics five days a week) and receives Vaccines for Children (VFC) supplies for SBHCs.

The department described school dental, vision and hearing activity: two health department dental clinics…