What began as a simple initiative to help schools bring children back to their classrooms after the pandemic has rapidly expanded to include a vast range of medical services for some 100,000 kids in the New Orleans area.
ThriveKids Student Wellness from Manning Family Children’s launched in 2021 with a handful of staffers serving a small contract in a local parish. Less than four years later, it has nearly 100 employees.
In the 2023-2024 school year, the program reached 100,000 students in 180 schools, logging nearly 4,000 individual counseling sessions and providing care coordination services to nearly 900 students.
The program’s growth is the result of a robust offering of school-based services that address nearly every aspect of children’s health, including:
- Behavioral health. School-based psychiatric services enable early intervention and provide access for children who require care. Care encompasses virtual therapy, in-school screenings, and case management. Through the program, they’ve provided over 9,000 school-based therapy sessions and 2,000 outpatient behavioral health visits with little to no wait times.
- Chronic condition management. Nurse Navigators support schools in managing a wide range of conditions, such as asthma and diabetes. They provide educational sessions, in-person training, and coordinate treatment plans with patient providers.
- School nurse support. A dedicated hotline offers school nurses immediate access to hospital providers to help assess student illnesses and minor injuries. The hospital also provides on-demand virtual visits with pediatricians.
- Sports medicine. Includes full access to the hospital’s sports medicine program and its team of orthopedists and specialists, concussion clinic, and rehabilitation center. Additionally, the hospital provides certified athletic trainers to more than two dozen schools in the region.
- Care coordination. Aligns students and their families with their medical providers and school nurses across their care needs. Among other benefits, this ensures more streamlined communication among all parties, improved attendance at school and medical appointments, and access to care when school is not in session.
- Early learning. New Orleans provides free early learning center seats to help preschool-age children in low-income areas prepare for kindergarten. Nurses, social workers, and early interventionists from the hospital work with these kids to address any developmental, social, or medical needs. “Early intervention is key,” said Chelsea Moore, clinical social worker and ThriveKids program director. “In the long run, this could be the most impactful aspect of ThriveKids.”
The power of asking ‘why?’
ThriveKids’ partnership with the New Orleans public school system is only in its second year, so the hospital is still gathering data on its overall impact. Measured metrics include mental health screening data, school attendance and suspension rates, and academic scores.
One story encapsulates the program’s impact.
While reviewing student files with a ThriveKids social worker, a teacher pointed out a young girl struggling with her coursework. Looking more closely at her case, the social worker noticed the girl had failed vision and hearing tests and missed 90% of her appointments with hospital specialists. Digging deeper, the team discovered a language barrier and transportation issues. ThriveKids rescheduled her specialist appointments and arranged for transportation and an interpreter. The girl received eyeglasses and hearing aids and began to flourish in school.
“It's a really simple story, but the reality is it actually can be pretty complicated in today's world,” said Lou Fragoso, president and chief executive officer of the hospital. “Just giving these kids a chance and eliminating barriers to allow forward progress is incredibly powerful. That little girl has a chance now.”
Keys to success
ThriveKids’ initial backing came from federal COVID-19 relief funds. As the program proved its worth and COVID-19 money faded, schools ensured funding to support it remained in their budgets. The city’s three-year, $10 million investment demonstrates the strong commitment the schools, hospital, and community have to ThriveKids.
That commitment is essential to developing an indispensable program. Fragoso and Moore said there’s not necessarily a playbook; each program is different and should be individualized to each student and family. They agree any successful program requires two key characteristics:
- Awareness. “It’s critical to understand what’s happening in your community,” Moore said. “It's one thing to read about it, but it’s another to go into these schools and experience it.” Some of the ways the hospital stays in touch with community needs are mobile immunization events, parenting programs in housing developments, and social workers in schools.
- Momentum. Just taking that first step is crucial, according to Fragoso. Leveraging the respect and trust children’s hospitals have built in their communities is a tremendous advantage. “You have the resources, you have the specialists — just get them outside the four walls of the hospital,” Fragoso said.
