School begins in just a couple of weeks, and while it's a new year, the problems facing many students haven't changed.
Some face financial stress at home, or mental health challenges like trauma and anxiety, or a lack of access to healthcare.
Now, the Detroit Public Schools Community District is hoping to tackle the out-of-classroom issues with out-of-the-box thinking.
The district is opening health hubs to combat chronic absenteeism – and I visited the one inside East English Village Preparatory Academy with Deputy Superintendent Alycia Merriweather.
"So it is a full-service, essentially a clinic. When students come in, they get checked in. They will be seen in one of these clinics in the exam rooms," Merriweather said.
She said the health centers have been game changers. Staff from Henry Ford Health, Ascension and the Institute for Population Health assess and treat students for everything from headaches and scrapes to diabetes and asthma. She said 84% of students seen at the health center return.
See a walk-through of the health center below
Merriweather says these health centers have been a game changer. Staff from Henry Ford Health, Ascension and the Institute for Population Health assess and treat students for everything from headaches and scrapes to diabetes and asthma. She says 84% of students seen at the health center return
"If the clinic were not here, where would the students who don't feel well go?" I asked.
"They would probably go home," she said.
That's not good for a district fighting chronic absenteeism. Now, the district is expanding on the health center model and creating health hubs to address other issues that affect student performance and attendance. Thanks to a donation by the Kellogg Foundation, they are adding oral care.
Health hubs will also feature food pantries, similar to this free store run by YVAC - created by DPSCD alums and recent college grads Zaria Pope & Devonte Johnson. This pantry at East English Village Prep offers essentials like food, detergent, feminine products and toothpaste for students and for their family.
"It gives people a breath of fresh air to know that I can come here and get laundry detergent, household staples for free," Pope said.
"If I don't have security at home, it makes it very challenging for me to come into a school," Johnson added.
To help create that security, the health hubs will also connect families to social services including eviction prevention, immigration support and more.
"We have a high number of students who are in foster care in our district or homeless families. And so there are resources there where they can actually come and get connected to additional supports," Sharlonda Buckman-Davis said.
There will be 12 health hub sites with an additional site at the school at Marygrove. They'll be accessible to all of the feeder middle and elementary schools in the community. It's a bold plan to address challenges in the classroom and beyond.
The district will also talk to families to better understand if the health hubs are meeting the needs of the community.
The money to support this initiative comes in part from Ballmer Group, Kellogg Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and The Children's Foundation.
The five health hubs opening this fall are Central/Durfee School, East English Village Prep, Osborn, Southeastern and Western high schools.
The rest will launch at neighborhood high schools over the next 3-4 years.
