Providing Comprehensive Care in School Settings | MedStar Health

Providing Comprehensive Care in School Settings

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Maria Aramburu in front of Roosevelt High School.

Pictured above is Dr. Maria Aramburu, medical director for the SBHC at Roosevelt Senior High School.

Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School Health Center

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital’s Division of Community Pediatrics opened its first school-based health center (SBHC) at Anacostia High School in Southeast Washington, D.C., in 2010. In partnership with the D.C. Department of Health, MedStar Georgetown opened its second full-service SBHC in D.C. at Roosevelt Senior High School in Northwest in 2017.

The goal of both health centers is to increase access to healthcare services and improve the wellness of adolescents and their families in five areas: physical health, mental health, oral health, nutritional health, and social environment.

“We’re looking at it in context of their family system and working to decrease access and language gaps by providing culturally sensitive health services in a school setting,” says Maria Aramburu, MD, medical director at Roosevelt Senior High School’s health center.

The health center provides primary care, mental health care, reproductive care, and social work support services to students five days a week. Sara Villatorio, a student at Roosevelt Senior High School, has visited the health center for therapy and counseling services.

“The support I receive from staff at the health center makes a big difference. I’ve been growing as a person and my depression has gotten better since going to the center,” says Villatorio.

Villatorio also said the health center’s supportive environment keeps her inspired to pursue her dream of joining the military after graduation and supporting those in need.

“One of the key pieces of the work that we’re able to do is connect students to care where they are. We’re providing care directly in their communities through a school-based setting where they live, learn, play and grow,” says Joanne Odom, program administrator at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.

 

Other key initiatives of the health center include increasing immunizations and annual wellness exam compliance. The newest initiative involves coordinating health insurance coverage for uninsured or underinsured students. Additionally, staff are working in partnership with Mary’s Center, a community health center, to soon begin providing dental services at Roosevelt Senior High School.

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To learn more about MedStar Health's programs and initiatives across Maryland and the Washington, D.C., region that are contributing to healthier communities, contact Raquel Lamptey at 410-772-6910