Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County hears school health and behavioral‑health partner updates, commissioners seek outreach expansion
Summary
Chatham County Schools and Via Health presented program updates. The school district reported increased implementation of health and healthy-relationship curricula and expanded mobile dental and mental‑health referral services; Via Health described service stats, a merger with Partners Health and a new adult-day opportunity center.
Chatham County Schools' School Health, Physical Education and Wellness Program Facilitator Rob Schooley briefed the board on the district's health and wellness work, describing a logic model focused on health services, health education, family engagement and safe supportive environments. Schooley said the district serves more than 9,000 students across 20 schools and cited several achievements this year: a mental‑health team that reviewed more than 40 referrals, expansion of the mobile dental unit with 112 referrals at five schools, and increased implementation of interpersonal communication and healthy‑relationships curriculum from 43% (2018) to 93% districtwide.
Commissioners asked about measurement and program detail; Schooley described pre/post testing and attestation built into curriculum rollout and said the district will analyze Youth Risk Behavior Survey results for continued planning.
Via Health community relations director Kara Donner updated the board on county-level utilization, funding breakdowns (Tailored Plans, Medicaid direct and state funds) and a pending merger with Partners Health effective December 1. Donner highlighted mobile crisis services that can respond to families within about two hours and encouraged the county to publicize services to increase utilization. She also announced the Chatham Opportunity Center adult day program groundbreaking and invited commissioner participation.
Commissioners welcomed the updates and asked for more outreach coordination to raise awareness of available services and to consider a deeper presentation on how the Via/Partners merger may affect local access and governance.
