CRAIG HOCKENBERRY SUPERINTENDENT By Craig Hockenberry Superintendent SBHC are Poverty Interrupters In my opinion poor health is one of the top causes for poor academic performance in our high poverty schools and is directly related to health care issues; Any opportunity to interrupt, slow down, or improve health issues that impact kids at school is a good thing SBHC gave me an opportunity to interrupt poverty. SBHC are Convenient People in poverty cannot get places fast enough (bus routes, no cars or broken down cars, and clinics are too far away); Location in schools is prompt and convenient; Pull the students in need of services out of class and then get them right back in a seat to continue learning. III. SBHC can monitor Chronic Illnesses SBHC have the ability to manage chronic conditions such as diabetes, allergies, asthma at a higher level of care and monitoring. IV. Vaccinations ½ of kindergarten students were not properly vaccinated; This meant I was quarantining family after family of kids that were already so far behind academically; I’m talking about kids that did not know their colors, letters, how to hold a pencil - did not even know how to say their names and I’m telling them go home because you do not have your shots; The ability to give students immunizations diminishes the number of students who have to be excluded from school. V. Attendance The attendance rate before the SBHC ran around 80%; After the SBHC we were running as high as 94%; Kids in poverty spread all types of sickness, ailments around; They live in close quarters (6-7 deep in apartments); SBHC can treat these illnesses & stop the spread, which increases attendance school-wide and performance rates. VI. Head lice –Bed Bugs • I hated dealing with head lice; • Head lice, head lice, head lice day after day; • Huge disruption to classroom instruction; • I spent hours washing kids’ hair and treating head lice; • It was hard to be an instructional leader when washing heads became a top priority; • SBHC was able to add several layers to educate and reduce the spread of head lice and beg bug. VII. Medications • We managed more medications in the 15 years than some small clinics. BEFORE SBHC, I had aides and sectaries giving medications (Epi pen situation @ Oyler); • The ability to have medical staff monitoring medication takes a huge risk and liability off of educators and puts them back in their focus of instruction. VIII. Early detections • Through routine check-ups we caught things that saved lives; We found lumps that later turned out to be cancer (treated it and saved lives);We caught eye infections that stopped blindness; We stopped infections that could have killed kids; We caught tooth decay that was so bad it put kids in the hospital and prevented many others from going.