One could argue the public school system is always in the work of building community, as they teach and train the workforce and leaders of tomorrow. They feed these young minds with food, activity and skills in addition to facts, figures and concepts.
But what do you call a school system that takes it a step further to open their doors to a partnership with a local medical clinic, to be housed within the walls of their school building? That’s community development.
The Bossier Parish School Board has entered into a vital partnership with David Raines Community Health Centers to put two such clinics in schools where the need seems the greatest – Bossier High School and Rusheon Middle School.
With these two latest clinics, David Raines now serves 17 schools in Caddo and Bossier parishes.
“We want to make sure the students in our community get the kind of access to healthcare that they may not get anywhere else,” said Willie White, CEO of David Raines.
These clinics are top-notch medical centers that provide preventative care like flu shots, wellness care like athletic physicals, sick care with prescriptions written in-house as well as emotional and mental health care by counselors.
We all know leaving work to take your children to the doctor can be taxing on a working parent, particularly if you don’t have a flexible work schedule or are an hourly employee. Couple that with transportation issues or lack of proximity to medical services and you can go see that when an issue arises, that spells a recipe for health issues that go overlooked.
Our students cannot be expected to concentrate and learn when they are unable to have their physical needs met. Adding basic medical care to the school environment is one way Bossier Schools is helping keep more students in the buildings, which studies show provides better academic outcomes.
Absenteeism is tracked for a reason. Keeping students in the classroom pays dividends on daily work and test taking skills and scores. Confidence in academic endeavors can only be strengthened by practicing these skills over and over with a trained teacher in a welcoming classroom.
Healthy students + staying at school = a recipe for success!
Not only is this great for the students, it is great for our community to see great partnerships happening with major players in our region. When we work together to take care of others, that’s when the magic happens of building a place where people want to live, work, play and learn together.
How are you working to build community?
Jessica Hemingway, PCED, is the Vice President of the Bossier Chamber of Commerce and holds the Professional Community and Economic Developer certification. Jessica is also the co-Director of the Community Development Institute Central in Louisiana, which is one of only seven sites across the national hosting the national program.