Around 2,000 Houston ISD students have accessed physical or mental health services through the district's new telehealth partnership since it expanded this school year, the district said at a press conference Thursday.
In May, Houston ISD announced that it would extend its Hazel Health partnership from 88 campuses to every campus and Sunrise Center in the district. The free service connects students with doctors, nurse practitioners or therapists who can prescribe medicine or offer mental health assistance.
School nurses can not administer prescription or over-the-counter medication — including topicals such as antibiotics and Vaseline and oral medications like Tylenol — without a parent and doctor's signature, according to district policy.
Hazel Health allows doctors to provide medications in real-time at their nurse's office, said Najah Callander, Houston ISD's senior executive for external engagement.
“Children who went to the nurse for anything from a stomachache to allergies were provided one of three things: an ice pack, some water or a call to a parent to be picked up. That meant many students ended up going home and missing school, and parents ended up missing work,” Callander said. “This helps keep kids in school and lets their parents stay at work when required.”
Nurses will first check with any student who visits their office before recommending them for Hazel Health services, the company's mental health representative Paris Corredera Carroll said. If there is a wait, the service lets students know where they are on the waitlist. If the Hazel Health physician orders over-the-counter medication, nurses can then administer it and help students get back into class, Carroll said.
“Many students who visit the nurse often visit that nurse on multiple occasions, and the nurse plays such an integral part in that child's care,” Carroll said. “He or she knows that student best, so when they are initiating the visit, they have the ability to share information about that student and their condition with our providers."
The service also acts as a primary care provider for "students without a medical home," which represents 1 in 5 HISD students, Callander said. Carroll said Hazel Health has a diverse array of physicians that speak around 30 languages to help boost access to all students.
Parental consent is required, and students must sign up for the service. Around 11,000 students have signed up so far this year, Callander said. Parents and staff members including school nurses, wraparound specialists and Sunrise Centers representatives can help connect students to mental health services 24/7, Callander said.
“We knew it was important that we increase the amount of support that we were providing our students for their health and medical needs, and really want to make sure that we are surrounding our students with the things that they need so that they can show up to school, ready to learn," Callander said.
Houston ISD expanded its partnership with Next Level Medical to offer employees behavior health services and primary care through the provider, the Houston-based company said Thursday.
The district also recently began using new software to track staff certified for performing CPR, using automated defibrillators and performing Stop The Bleed techniques, district officials said.
