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Council presses DC Health on school-nurse transition and staffing transparency
Summary
After DC Health moved school health into agency control and onboarded ~180 staff, Chair Henderson raised concerns about vacancy rates, cluster staffing models and opaque staffing algorithms; Director Bennett said staffing is driven by utilization and clinical need.
The Committee on Health questioned DC Health about the agency’s transition of school health services from a contractor to in-house operations and the practical effects for school coverage.
Director Ayanna Bennett described the move as one of the agency’s major accomplishments, noting the onboarding of "over 180 staff" and reopening high-school-based health centers. But Chair Christina Henderson pressed on staffing shortfalls: Bennett acknowledged persistent vacancies (cited in the hearing as roughly 18% RN vacancy and 14% LPN/health tech vacancy), the use of staffing agencies to fill gaps, and that only about half of schools currently receive 40 hours of weekly coverage. "Only 50% of schools have 40 hours of coverage per week," Bennett said when asked to explain coverage patterns.
Council members also asked about a promised cluster model (five staff per four schools) and the algorithm DC Health uses to prioritize nursing hours. Bennett and Senior Deputy Sarah Beckwith said staffing decisions depend on utilization metrics, documented medical needs (universal health certificate, medication allowances), and school-specific risk profiles; they also noted multiple activation pathways beyond the universal health certificate. The committee asked DC Health to share the algorithm inputs and to initiate conversations with pediatricians’ groups (AUSI/AAP proxy) on reducing administrative burdens of the universal health certificate, and requested follow-up on four schools currently with zero AOM-trained staff.
A clear next step: DC Health agreed to provide the committee with details about the staffing algorithm, lists of schools with critical coverage shortfalls and timelines for bringing new hires through onboarding.
