News and information for staff members and the Madison community
Vol. I No. 7 - June 2, 2006
What if you wanted a preventive health exam for your child but could not make it to the clinic because of lack of transportation, a language barrier or financial issues? The Dane County Coalition for Neighborhood Child Health has been making this possible by providing free community-based preventive exams for children and adolescents for the past 14 years, screening over 6,750 children.
"One of the most gratifying experiences is the community support and commitment for this project. The volunteers and coalition representatives are wonderful," reports Sally Zirbel-Donisch, MMSD program support nurse who coordinates the clinics. Families attending the clinics share this opinion as well. Surveys indicate that what families liked best about the clinics is the "knowledgeable and friendly staff."
The Coalition is a partnership of 15 public and private health care agencies working collaboratively to provide free clinics in the schools seven to eight times a year. Kathy Price, coordinator of community partnerships, organizes the approximately 70 to 80 family advocates who volunteer to assist at each clinic.
The clinics take place at Allis, Leopold, Allied/Head Start, Access Community Health Center and Lincoln. This spring 100 children were seen at Allis Elementary and Leopold Elementary. Five clinics are scheduled for the fall of 2006.
At the clinics the children and adolescents receive complete health exams. These include blood and lead testing, vision and hearing screening, height and weight measurements, asthma screening, dental screening, immunizations, and histories and physicals.
One of the guiding principles of the Coalition is providing follow-up care for children seen at the clinics. School nurses, medical assistant advocates and public health nurses assist families with this care. The most common health problem identified is dental disease. Fortunately, the majority of the children will receive treatment through various community dental programs.
A bilingual resource specialist from Stephens wrote to Sally Zirbel-Donisch, "We at Stephens are tremendously grateful for your program. I can't tell you what peace of mind it gives me to know that there are such caring, competent health professionals to provide a safety net for our families! I can't imagine what we would do without you!"
Last Updated: Mon Jul 17 07:54:46 2006
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