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Board approves addendum with School Health Alliance to continue school-based medical and behavioral services
Summary
After a presentation showing thousands of student and staff visits, the Board approved the 2025-26 contract addendum with School Health Alliance to continue on-site and mobile health services at district schools. The vote passed 6-3.
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education voted to approve a contract addendum extending the district's partnership with School Health Alliance for the 2025-26 school year, continuing school-based medical, behavioral health and mobile-unit services at multiple sites.
Doctor Heather Schwitrack, director of psychological services, and Doctor Frederica Stokes, assistant superintendent for student services, outlined that School Health Alliance practitioners were assigned to crisis-response teams, a number of comprehensive school-based centers and mobile-unit sites. For the first three quarters of the 2024-25 school year (through March 7), staff cited about 2,951 behavioral-health visits and about 1,137 medical visits for students, plus employee visits and other services. The presenters also said 45.3% of School Health Alliance student visits served Medicaid-enrolled students and 40.1% of visits were for uninsured students.
Board discussion focused on service value and contract terms. Board member Brown Gaither moved approval; the motion passed on a recorded voice vote reported in open session as 6-3. Some trustees asked whether the district's reimbursement model and the contract terms had been examined; staff said the addendum renews the district's existing arrangement and the addendum specifically adds an Old Town Elementary comprehensive center site. The contract covers a portion of practitioner compensation while Alliance clinicians also bill insurers when eligible, staff said.
Why it matters: school-based health services provide medical, nutritional and behavioral health care in school settings and, according to staff, reduce barriers for students with limited access to outside care. Superintendent Tricia McManus recommended the contract addendum and staff said approving it would maintain access to the expanded mobile-unit and clinic services through the 2025-26 school year.
Ending: The board will receive routine contract oversight information; staff said service metrics and site lists will be monitored in the coming year.
