Manatee School District combines health and education at this local elementary school

Providing a great education is nearly impossible without first meeting the basic health needs of Manatee County students, Superintendent Cynthia Saunders said on Thursday morning.

With three newly renovated portables behind her, Saunders addressed reporters and school board members during the grand opening of the School Based Health Center at Manatee Elementary, 1609 Sixth Ave. E. in Bradenton. The health center is open to approximately 500 students who attend the school, along with countless Manatee County residents.

“With parent permission, we are able to take care of all their basic needs so we can do what we do best in our school system, and that’s educate our children,” Saunders said. “We are not the medical providers. We are not the mental health counselors. We are the educators.”

A school-based health center was in the works for two years, and through a partnership with Manatee County Rural Health Services, it became a reality.

“Improved health outcomes means improved educational outcomes, which means improved life outcomes,” said Charlie Kennedy, the school board’s vice-chair and one of the driving forces behind Manatee Elementary School’s health center.

MCR’s president and chief executive officer, Patrick Carnegie, said one portable was for basic medical services, another was for behavioral health and the third was for community members. MCR Health accepts most insurance policies and the health center has a sliding fee scale for uninsured families, Carnegie said.

“Access is the key to great, quality, preventative and primary care,” he continued. “What better way to provide access than right here at the school and, in some cases, for our most vulnerable populations?”

The health center helped MCR Health expand its services in the county, and it helped Manatee Elementary to further its standing as a “community partnership school.”

Community schools commit to a long-term agreement with local universities, nonprofits and health care providers. Manatee Elementary partnered with the school district, the University of South Florida and the Children’s Home Society of Florida.

Created by the University of Central Florida, the community schools program is meant to address students’ basic needs and improve their ability to learn.

“Today’s celebration is almost surreal for me,” said Renita Houston, who spoke on behalf of the Children’s Home Society. “I myself am a proud alumna of Manatee Elementary School.”

“When kids are struggling with chronic illness, such as asthma, it affects their ability to learn,” she continued. “When our kids can’t see the whiteboard because they aren’t able to have their vision checked, it affects their ability to learn.”

This story was originally published September 10, 2020 at 3:48 PM.