Institute for H.O.P.E. School Health

By Hannah Lambalot | Categories: | Comments Off on Institute for H.O.P.E. School Health

A decade ago, Cleveland public schools were plagued with chronic absenteeism and stagnant academic achievement, with a graduation rate of just 52.2 percent. At the same time, The MetroHealth System noticed declining pediatric primary care visits, increasing emergency department use, and gaps in children’s health outcomes. A health system assessment revealed a strong need for asthma management, well-child exams, immunizations, and other primary care and mental health screenings and services.

In 2013, MetroHealth opened the first Institute for H.O.P.E.TM school health program clinic in a converted classroom at an elementary school. Today, the program has expanded to more than two dozen sites and mobile units, selected based on assessed need. The clinics offer traditional medical care, as well as addressing behavioral health issues and social determinants of health. Every week, the team helps students and their families sign up for insurance, recognize lead exposure, and connect with community partners to find housing, pay rent, and more. The program also provides students coats, toothbrushes, backpacks, and school supplies.

The program is funded through philanthropic support, Medicaid billing, and the health system’s general operations budget; its annual budget is on pace to exceed $1 million for 2022.

Compared with a baseline, program enrollees were 64 percent more likely to be up to date on immunizations, 38 percent more likely to have attended one or more primary care visits, and 22 percent more likely to have had an annual well-child exam. At the first participating high school, attendance rates exceeded 94 percent and enrollees had eight fewer absences on average and a grade-point average 0.41 higher than other students.