Building Bright Futures Introduces School Health Centers

On behalf of The Kim Foundation, I attended a luncheon sponsored by Building Bright Futures recently introducing new school-based Health Centers. The Health Centers will be located in five Omaha elementary schools and King Science Magnet Center. These school-based medical centers will provide on-site medical services to children and will be used to diagnose and treat many common conditions in children, as well as provide immunizations, general physicals, preventative care, and sports readiness exams.

Recognizing that many parents are unable to take time from work to obtain pre-enrollment school physicals, or take sick children to a doctor’s office, it was felt that having a Health Center in schools would make access to wellness much easier and prevent delays in entering children in school. Children must bring a signed parent consent form and the child’s health history must be on file.

Building Bright Futures has promised that its next major effort will address mental health care for children and youth, which pleases The Kim Foundation and many agency partners in Omaha. Early recognition and intervention of mental health issues will make the school years so much more successful for many of our children.

Building Bright Futures has also asked for mentors; they need about 3000 mentors for children and youth this school year. If you or someone you know has a heart for young people and are willing to invest a little time each week to be a role model, friend, and mentor contact Deborah Neary at dneary@mmpomaha.org to learn more. To learn more about Building Bright Futures, visit http://www.buildingbrightfutures.net/default.aspx.