Mesa County Valley School District partners with health care organization to bring clinics to schools

Parents Defending Education submitted a public records request to the Mesa County Valley School District requesting documents and information on the district’s relationship with the health care organization MarillacHealth. The school district provided PDE with several documents, including a timeline of the district’s relationship with the organization and the agreement between the two entities.

The timeline that PDE received explains that discussions to bring in a clinic first started in December 2017 when “an advisory committee was developed to determine the feasibility of opening a school based health care center” in the district. This eventually led to MarillacHealth opening a clinic in Central High School in March 2020. However, services were delayed until the next school year due to COVID. The timeline also discusses the eventual implementation of another MarillacHealth clinic in the new building currently being constructed for Grand Junction High School:

From conceptual design through DD of the new HS the design advisory committee agreed to include 1200 sq ft of HC space in the new HS. The results of the previously mentioned assessment helped drive the committee to move forward with this decision to our current construction documents.

The agreement between the school district and MarillacHealth is titled “Memorandum of Understanding Between Mesa County Valley District 51 and MarillacHealth for the Provision of School-Based Health Care.” The memorandum states that its effective date is July 1, 2019. The following services from MarillacHealth were listed for children in the district:

• treatment of minor acute injury and illness
• well-child/well-adolescent exams and sports physicals
• immunizations
• routine (CLIA-waived) laboratory tests
• management of chronic illness
• mental health assessment and treatment, including drug/alcohol treatment
• case management and referral
• age-appropriate reproductive health services
• health education and health promotion
• medications and/or prescriptions for medications
• dental services
• assistance with medical coverage enrollment (Medicaid, CHP+, and sliding scale (via HQHC?)

The school district also provided PDE with the following assessment document:

MarillacHealth’s website has a list of services under the category “school-based health center.” The following services are listed:

• Medical
  • Visits for colds and flu
  • Immunizations
  • Routine labs, tests, and throat cultures
  • Sports Physicals
  • Reproductive Health & Education
  • Care for chronic conditions like asthma and diabetes, in coordination with the student’s primary care physician
• Dental
  • Dental Screenings, Dental Cleanings, and Varnish Application
• Behavioral health
  • Help with stress and anxiety
  • Evaluations and counseling
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Screenings and help with mental health and substance use disorder
• Other
  • Referrals to specialists, if needed
  • Assistance with enrollment for Medicaid and CHP+

MarillacHealth’s website also has a page encouraging people to “register to vote.” The organization states on the page: “MarillacHealth is committed to lifting up our community by best serving the individuals and families who come to us for care. That includes encouraging patient and staff engagement in the future of our community through voting.”