Progress: 2014 Goals Met
An example of the Health Department’s efforts
to increase access to care is the school-based
health center, which the Department opened
with a group of local partners at Round Lake
High School in October of 2014. The Center’s
goal is to improve the physical and emotional
health of students attending the high school and
to teach them life-long, positive health
behaviors by providing quality, comprehensive
primary healthcare. The Center grew out of the
Round Lake Area School District and a group of
A nurse practitioner checks the blood pressure of a student
concerned citizens wanting to address growing
at the Round Lake High School Health and Wellness Center.
healthcare needs and barriers to healthcare access.
Of particular concern was the impact health issues were having on academic achievement. School-based
health centers historically have helped children stay in school by identifying and addressing health
problems that may affect their ability to learn.
A $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funded the construction of
the center. The Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County funded an initial feasibility study and
continues to provide support.
Through the Center, students now have access to a comprehensive range of medical and behavioral
health services provided by both the Health Department and Nicasa Behavioral Health Services. The
services were determined by certification requirements established by the Illinois Department of Human
Services, with input from the community through information sessions, community open houses, and
surveys organized in 2012 and 2013. All students, regardless of their ability to pay, are eligible for these
services.
Another way the Health Department is increasing access to care is by decreasing wait times for
appointments. New patients seeking a primary care medical home need to be able to access care in our
LCHD/CHC system in a timely fashion. To decrease the time to the next available appointment, we are
implementing several strategies. These include increasing the number of provider teams at health
center sites, altering scheduled clinic hours to add more early morning, evening and weekend hours, and
adding more “immediate access” appointments in the schedule to allow for patients, either new or
existing, to get in for care sooner.
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