As the school nurse, Sharon Nickerson isn’t just consumed by the immunization records and health needs of the 580 students at Villa Cresta elementary in Parkville.
She’s often also the primary contact for parents with questions about insurance coverage or doctors’ referrals, she said.
“I’m the first person they will call,” Nickerson said Tuesday after an event highlighting school health programs.
This connection is critical for state officials aiming to get more parents enrolled in the expanded medical assistance program. Starting July 1, more parents of children who qualify for the Maryland Children’s Health Insurance Program are eligible for care through the state’s expansion of Medicaid coverage.
A family of three making less than $20,500 a year is now eligible, up from about $7,000, John Colmers, secretary of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, said at the event in Villa Cresta’s library.
Health officials hope to get 33,000 parents enrolled in the program, and about 8,000 have already signed up, he said.
“We have done a good job providing care for children [through the children’s health care program], but for parents, we have not done a very good job,” Colmers said.
Parents with health insurance coverage are more likely to ensure their children receive health care, said Colmers.
Parents also must understand the importance of oral hygiene, Colmers said, calling attention to the state’s plans to expand oral screening and sealant programs in schools.
Poor dental health can distract students from their schoolwork, keep them out of school or even lead to death, as was the case for Deamonte Driver, the 12-year-old Prince George’s boy who died last year after bacteria from an untreated abscess spread to his brain.
“It’s something we can improve upon,” Colmers said.
A third message health officials rallied behind Tuesday was the need for children to receive the proper immunizations. Students have until Sept. 15 to be vaccinated.
“This is an important time in the school year,” said State Superintendent of Schools Nancy Grasmick. “Children who have health needs are children who are not going to be successful academically.”
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