Primary Care Alignment Team

 

Since the Children’s Health Impact Summit (CHIS) in 2014, the Primary Care Alignment Team has garnered a focus on two of the seven educationally relevant health disparities that were highlighted during the summit. These two educationally relevant health disparities are asthma and vision.

 

The Children’s Health Executive Oversight (CHEO) A-Team, the primary host of the CHIS, appointed the Primary Care A-Team, in its appropriateness to their mission, as the driving force to address the needs of asthma and vision. This pilot is planned to address the action items/next steps that were decided upon by community organization representatives at the CHIS listed in asthma and in vision.

Asthma-

"Conduct/expand asthma education training to teachers, parents, coaches..."

Vision-

"Develop communications, awareness, education".

The A-Team has then since focused on developing communication, awareness and education on asthma and vision. Also, the A-Team would like to conduct and expand asthma and vision education training to teachers and parents as outlined from the CHIS. This event will be an evening series of parent and teacher-centered information sessions on asthma and/or vision. The sessions will be designed to educate and raise awareness about the importance of asthma and vision and how they can affect students' success in the classroom. These meetings will also provide time for parents to ask questions and for students to receive screenings. Dinner will also be served to participants and their families as an additional incentive for active participation. The pilot focus areas will be in the MNPS school cluster zip codes 37211 and 37207 and will be held at middle and high schools within these clusters.

Tactic

Engage participating organizations and volunteers that specialize in one of the aforementioned subjects in presenting on the topic and its relevance to education to parents, students, and teachers.

 

The A-Team began discussing plans to implement this pilot directly after the CHIS in October of 2014. The A-Team came to a consensus on the idea and more solid actions to implementation were decided upon in the beginning of 2015. The community meeting was held on April 29th, followed by 3 responses to the ITP. The Vanderbilt School of Nursing students have also expressed interest in participation but have not yet officially submitted a response to the ITP (as of October 2015). All of the responses were accepted however, the A-Team was not able to secure a response from an organization on behalf of the vision portion of the pilot. The A-Team is currently working on connecting with knowledgeable organizations to address vision specifically.

The current list of participating organizations is as follows:

  • Asthma, Allergy and Sinus Center
  • American Lung Association
  • Vanderbilt University Pediatric Community Health Rotation (1st and 2nd year residents)
  • Vanderbilt University School of Nursing

The Coordinated School Health (CSH) department in Metro Schools will help in determining the schools at which the presentations will be giving and will be promoting the pilot to these schools.

 

LONG TERM OUTCOME:

 Children's Health and Wellness

 Increase College Readiness Rate

MIDTERM OUTCOME:

At least 50 parents and teachers attend one of the sessions on asthma or vision during the 2015-2016 school year. 

SHORT TERM OUTCOME:

  • Increase the knowledge of the importance of vision screenings as it pertains to education of participants by 30%
  • Increase the knowledge of the importance of asthma education as it pertains to performance in the classroom of participants by 30%
  • Increase knowledge of controlling and treating asthma symptoms by participants in schools by 30%

 

The Primary Care Alignment Team was currently in the process of identifying school sites for the asthma and vision pilot at the time of printing this report they are working closely with MNPS Coordinated School Health and the Alignment Nashville Children's Health Executive Oversight Team to make a decision using data about asthma and vision referrals at specific schools. 

 

Thoughts on the seven educationally relevant health disparities: “Scientists and stakeholders agree that students must be healthy to be ready to learn.”

-Progress of Education Reform, Education Commission of the States

Asthma and vision are among the seven educationally relevant health disparities that are selected as a priority.

-Dr. Charles E. Basch, Columbia University

This A-Team is planning to begin presentations on asthma at the beginning of 2016. Implemented at scale, the impact of this pilot would reach every school in the district that shows significant numbers of students who experience asthma-related and vision-related health problems. The parents of these schools will be well informed on the proper care that their child needs as well as the available resources within the community for their children.

 

PRIMARY CARE A-TEAM MEMBERS

Dr. Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge, Chair, Tennessee State University

Nicole Proffitt, Co-Vice Chair, Metro Nashville Public Schools

Reba Bryant, Co-Vice Chair, Metro Nashville Public Schools

David Campbell, Metro Public Health Department

Janet Cates, Cumberland Pediatric Foundation

Whitney Lowe, Metro Public Health Department

Lisa Nistler, Metro Public Health Department

Clare Sullivan, Vanderbilt University

 

PRIMARY CARE PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS

AmeriGroup

TENNderCare

Cumberland Pediatric Foundation

United Healthcare Community Plan

MNPS Student Health Services

MNPS Coordinated School Health

Metro Public Health Department

YMCA of Middle Tennessee

Conexion Americas

El Crucero De Tennessee

Lipscomb College of Pharmacy

 

For more information, contact Jaleesa Johnson, Alignment Team Coordinator.