Equipping health centers for better community health

Children in Michigan’s Northern Bay, Arenac, Iosco and Ogemaw counties will have new access to health care services thanks to support from the Central Michigan University College of Medicine Rural Health Equity Institute.

Together with the Sterling Area Health Center, or SAHC, local school districts, parents and other community partners, the RHEI is equipping two school-based health centers to provide healthcare services to children aged 3 to 21 in the four-county area. The two centers, based in Standish-Sterling and Whittemore-Prescott schools, will be open to all children year-round, including during summer and school breaks.

Healthcare deserts, underserved patients

The communities served by the SAHC are considered medical and behavioral health desert areas, with limited access to health care services. 

“When people talk about health care deserts, they’re often talking about points on a map,” said Alison Arnold, executive director of the RHEI. “But we’re really talking about people who need care.”

The community’s decision to open the two school-based centers meant that children and young adults in those areas — even those who do not attend either school — would now have a place to receive medical and mental health care, said John Jervinsky, manager of telehealth programs at the RHEI. The Institute provided resources for the computers, networking equipment and additional accessories necessary for behavioral health providers and patients to connect via telehealth.

“This is a prime example of how we work. This rural community identified a challenge and came up with a solution — all they needed was the capacity,” said John Jervinsky, manager of telehealth programs at the RHEI. “We connect them with resources and help them implement the solutions that make sense for their community; we help their ideas come alive.”

Increasing health care access in rural areas

Arnold said the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for telehealth services to be available several years ago, yet many rural areas still do not have the internet access necessary to support those programs.

“We recognize that broadband is often the determining factor in working with rural communities to provide needed services,” she said. “If the [broadband] infrastructure isn’t in place, it’s very hard to work on the programmatic pieces. We are working with partners across the state to increase internet access to support telehealth services.”

The RHEI is currently working on several other projects in rural communities that involve telehealth programs. One project with the Bay-Arenac Intermediate School District will expand capacity for health services and offer professional development programs in partnership with CMU’s Center for Children, Families and Communities. In another partnership, the Institute is helping to develop a collaborative care model delivered through telehealth with the Crystal Lake Health Center and Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services.

“We ask our partners what they could do if they had the right resources,” Arnold said. “They often already have plans in place but have resource or capacity needs. We can help them bridge those needs and help them connect with additional partners and resources.”

Next steps for the new centers

Jervinsky said the Institute will continue to partner with the SAHC to create two additional school-based health centers in the near future. 

Each school-based health center will have a Community Advisory Council, which will include parents, school officials and community partner agencies. These councils will meet monthly for program updates, and to vote on the centers’ policies, procedures and services.

Members of the local community and media are invited to attend ribbon-cutting ceremonies at the two new school-based health centers:

• 2:00 p.m., Friday, October 18 at Standish-Sterling School, 3789 Wyatt Road in Standish, Michigan
• 3:30 p.m., Friday, October 18 at Whittemore-Prescott School, 8970 Prescott Road in Whittemore, Michigan