Groundbreaking for Elev8 Oakland Health Centers
On June 1, Elev8 Oakland broke ground on five sites that will soon transform into school-based health centers.
To kick off the much anticipated construction, a ceremony was held at United for Success middle school. Over 65 students, parents, community based providers, school leaders, City of Oakland and County of Alameda representatives and key leadership from the school district attended the celebration. In a climate of severe budget cuts in education and health care, this represents the largest expansion of middle school health centers in the state of California. The clinics will provide medical, dental, mental health, case management and health education services, including nutrition and physical activity programming. School-based health centers also provide students with a range of youth development opportunities that empower students to lead healthy and successful lives. "Our great task is to repair and rebuild a broken system in a time of dramatically declining revenues. If we are to achieve this goal, it can't be business as usual," said Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) Superintendent Tony Smith. "We must create strategic partnerships to improve the quality of life for young people and their families. Our whole organization exists to ensure the necessary conditions are in place for each student to maximize his or her talents. In addition to a high-quality education, we must provide health, physical education, nutrition, medical, dental, recreation, housing, employment and language acquisition opportunities, with the school serving as the hub of activity. The emphasis is on education and caring for the whole child," Smith said. The OUSD contributed $6.6 million in Measure B funds for the construction of the school-based health centers. The Alameda County Health Care Services Agency contracted with community-based providers - selected in partnership with the school community - to operate the centers. The lead health providers include: La Clínica de La Raza (Coliseum College Prep, Roots International and Roosevelt Middle Schools); Life Long Medical Care (West Oakland Middle School); Native American Health Center (United for Success Middle School) and the Alameda County Public Health Department (Madison Middle School). The health centers are expected to open within 150 days of the groundbreaking. |
Making the school a place that helps parents— with their income, employment and other needs— can improve the alienation many parents in poor communities feel toward schools in general.
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