District health services highlights screenings, NaloxBox rollout and Medicaid billing push
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Summary
Director of school health services Carolyn Raines presented a summary of nursing services, screenings and community partnerships; she described the district’s NaloxBox program, concussion tracking, a Department of Public Health grant and ongoing advocacy for Medicaid billing reforms to benefit the district.
Carolyn Raines, director of School Health Services for Plymouth Public Schools, presented an annual overview of the district’s nursing operations, public-health partnerships and grant-funded programs.
Raines said the district’s comprehensive school health grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health focuses on health equity and supports data collection and care coordination. “The goals of our health service department really are to be … the link between the educational and health communities,” she said.
Raines reported about 85,000 health office visits in the year’s records and noted that students eligible as English learners, students who are homeless and socioeconomically disadvantaged students tend to use school health services at higher rates. She reviewed required state screenings (vision, hearing, postural) and the SBIRT program (screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment) for selected middle- and high-school grades; parents may opt out of SBIRT.
On safety and emergency preparedness, Raines described the district’s medical and behavioral-health emergency plan submitted to the state and said the district expanded training this year, including tourniquet and “Stop the Bleed” training and broader CPR instruction. She highlighted the district’s NaloxBox placements and said the district has successfully used AEDs and other emergency equipment in past incidents.
Raines also discussed concussion tracking, reporting requirements for secondary athletics and the district’s oral-health “Smiles” program, which provided dental services to nearly 400 students this year. She said the district trains community and school staff and runs several prevention and wellness initiatives including the Yellow Tulip Project on mental-health stigma and quarterly staff wellness communications.
On finance and policy, Raines urged support for ongoing state-level work to permit local education agencies to return Medicaid billing revenue to districts rather than to regional or other intermediaries. She said the bill has advanced to committee this session and that the district continues its municipal Medicaid billing work where possible.
Raines closed by thanking health services staff, noting recent hires and retirements, and saying the district will keep emphasizing student access to care and partnerships with community providers.