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Mission CISD social worker urges more focus on staff wellness, links it to student performance
Summary
Brenda Samura, a medical wellness social worker at Mission CISD, urged the district to prioritize staff health, saying healthier staff lead to healthier schools; she described services like an annual health fair and shared a student success anecdote.
Brenda Samura, a medical wellness social worker for Mission CISD, told listeners that investing in staff health helps improve student outcomes and described district wellness services offered to employees. "When you have healthy schools, it's because you have healthy staff members," Samura said.
Samura said she became a social worker after being inspired in high school and that her job centers on coordinating services, advocacy and support for school district staff. She said those supports are important because staff often do not prioritize their own health, whether for cultural reasons or because they lack time to seek care.
To address that gap, Samura said Mission CISD brings in medical providers and lab services through an annual health fair to make care accessible to employees. "We're able to bring in doctors. We're able to bring in, you know, lab services through our annual health fair," she said, describing the event as a way to reach staff who otherwise might not make time for health services.
Samura recounted working with a high-risk female student who later returned to thank her: "Miss, I just want to thank you for bringing light to me and giving me hope and believing in me." She said the student's words reminded her why she entered social work and reinforced her commitment to the district's wellness efforts.
Samura framed staff wellness as a practical investment in the district's educational mission, saying healthier employees contribute to healthier classrooms and better student performance.
