Health Services is a component of the Coordinated School Health Program and is designed to provide emergency care for illness or injury, prevent and control communicable disease and other health problems, and promote a safe school environment.

The school health collaboration with these partners places a school nurse in every regular school including nursing service support for the alternative, charter schools, and the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) program. The primary goal of this program is to advance the well-being, academic success, and life-long achievement of all students.

Student Return to Class Rates:

During the 2013-2014 school year, there were 16,284 health room visits and more than 31,000 school health services provided. The return to class rate for these schools was 95%.

* 2013-2014 (FDOHPBC) – School Health Data

Full School Health Services, provided by special state funding, allows the Florida Department of Health Palm Beach County to build collaborative relationships with school staff and community agencies and involve students as responsible partners in their care and encourage the role of the parent/guardian.

Screenings are mandated by Florida Administrative Code 64F-6.003 for vision, hearing and growth and development for grades K, 1, 3, and 6. Scoliosis screening is mandated for students in 6th grade only.

Student Intervention Services honored Dr. Philippe Bilger, DDS, MPH, Dental Executive Director, Florida Department of Health, Palm Beach County as the: “Outstanding Wellness Advocate” to the Palm Beach County School District in the 2013-2014 school year.

Dr. Phil Bilger was nominated for his ongoing efforts to improve the oral health of students in Palm Beach County schools. His understanding of the relationship between a healthy body and a healthy mouth has prompted him to provide dental sealant programs, fluoride rinse programs, and dental preventive care to many students within their schools. Dr. Bilger also worked to establish and coordinate the “Tooth Fairy” motor coach, a mobile dental unit that brings on-site intervention that can both identify and fix student dental problems on the spot.

Additional dental programs provided to the schools includes volunteers recruited and coordinated by the Florida Department of Health Palm Beach County to assist elementary school children to maintain good dental health through a weekly Fluoride Mouth Rinse Program in schools located in non-fluoridated areas. Children in non-fluoridated areas are at an increased risk for dental decay; fluoride containing topical rinses help reduce this risk.

The Dental Sealant Project, funded by the Marjorie S. Fisher Fund, has provided dental screenings for over 23,000 children and placed over 61,000 sealants on second grade students since 1997. In the 2013-2014 school year, dental staff from the Florida Department of Health Palm Beach County provided this program in 29 Title 1 schools (see table below), examining over 2,000 children and placing over 6,000 sealants. This program utilizes a state of the art two dental chair mobile clinic on wheels called the “Tooth Fairy.” The team collaborates with school nurses to refer sealant program participating children needing urgent dental care. Fifty-one (51) children were referred to the health department clinics because of acute dental needs.

The Florida Department of Health Palm Beach County - Dental Division’s Coordinated Oral Health Access Referral Program (COHARP) is a case management and referral program to help school children with acute dental needs. These children are referred from either the Dental Sealant Program, RAMS Health Clinic at Palm Beach Lakes HS, or from the school nurses in Palm Beach County schools. Children identified with immediate dental needs will have the ability to be seen for urgent care in one of the FDOHPBC clinics or contracted providers.

Outstanding prevention programs are offered in collaboration with community health partners to provide outstanding programs to address and prevent health issues within schools. This year the following partners were welcomed in Palm Beach County schools.

School staff members are trained annually to provide selected school health services under the guidance and training of licensed health professionals. The following training programs contribute to a safer school environment and provide immediate emergency response within the schools.