SD2 - Riverstone Health - Billings Clinic Pact in the works

School District 2 is actively working on a MOU between them and Riverstone Health and Billings Clinic to create a Heath Center at Orchard Elementary School. The SD2 Trustee Planning and Development Committee approved an action for this MOU to be voted on during the June Board Meeting. 

Orchard Elementary serves the largest number of children of low income families in the school district. If a student receives free or reduced lunch, there is a 90% chance they are receiving Medicaid health services. For a variety of reasons, parents are not taking their children in for medical services and the problems get to a point where the more expensive ER is used. If a health center is put in the school, health professionals will be able to address issues before they get expensive. 

I missed the mental health presentation from Billings Clinic, but it appears that some parents are taking their kids to the ER for mental health issues instead of making an appointment with a specialist. 

The presenters sited single mothers that do not have transportation to take their children to an appointment and single mothers that cannot leave their job to take their children to an appointment as a reason to put a Heath Center in Orchard.

Parents will have to either opt into the program or opt out of the program, so parents, who do not want the school health center to provide medical care outside of emergencies, can have some peace. 

Here is some commentary. As a parent, I take the health of my children seriously. In fact, I view that as a responsiblity of myself, because I brought those children into the world. One thing that should be in this MOU is that parents should be required to be in attendance for every appointment. This program should never take any responsiblity from the parent. The government should not be raising children. There are parents that view the school as free childcare. There are parents that like the fact they do not have to make lunch and breakfast for their children paid by the taxpayer dime. Let's not add health services to this list. The government should not take care of children's healthcare and allowing the parent shift this responsiblity off too. A parent not raising their children is bad all around. This Health Center should not encourage this behavior. The MOU should address this specifically.

Virgil