Increasing vision screening services in New York City schools
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Contributor(s):
- New York State Health Foundation, issuing body.
- Publication:
- New York, NY : New York State Health Foundation, October 2019
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- School Health Services Vision Screening New York City United States
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- Undiagnosed vision problems are particularly common for children with limited access to preventive and vision health services. Untreated vision problems can seriously hinder a child's ability to learn, as an estimated 80% of learning occurs through the eyes. Approximately 20% of kindergarten and first grade students fail vision screening tests, and by high school, an estimated 25% of students cannot read the blackboard without corrective lenses. In 2015, New York City committed $2 million for vision services--including screening, optometric exams, and glasses--for students in community schools. The commitment was part of the City's Community Schools Initiative, implemented in 130 public schools across New York City that had been historically low-performing, with high absenteeism and/or drop-out rates. The initiative aimed to create strong partnerships between schools and experienced community partners to provide social services, counseling, mental health supports, and academic interventions to engage entire families and communities as part of a holistic approach to elevate educational outcomes. Through the program, students within the community schools were provided with a range of school-based academic and health services, including vision services. In 2015, NYSHealth awarded the Fund for Public Health in New York (the Fund) a grant to pilot a vendor-based model to provide vision screenings, exams, and glasses to middle and high school students in New York City. The project focused on this population of students because all New York City children are already offered free school-based vision screenings through the fifth grade, but many may not develop vision problems until they are older. Under this grant, the Fund, in collaboration with the Office of School Health (OSH) at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), conducted a pilot project to test a low-cost, vendor-based model to expand vision services in schools. The project aimed to provide vision services to more than 9,000 seventh and tenth graders at 86 middle and high schools in low-income communities, leveraging staffing and resources from the City's Community Schools Initiative funding. Students in the pilot schools had historically been less likely to confirm a follow-up visit to an eye doctor after a failed vision screening compared with students across all New York City public schools (27% vs. 48%, respectively). Given that OSH had been screening community schools since 2015, the pilot leveraged existing OSH staff presence by targeting community schools that are co-located in the same building as other schools, allowing the Fund to maximize the number of students reached. In OSH's previous service delivery model, the City funded all vision services for 100% of students in selected schools, where vision services are provided by OSH staff. Under that model, all children in the selected schools are eligible to receive vision services, regardless of insurance status, because the City acts as the direct provider and covers all service costs. In the pilot model, the Fund selected qualified vendors to conduct exams and provide glasses to all students who needed them, aiming to bill Medicaid for the 60% of students expected to be eligible for coverage in selected pilot schools. NYSHealth funds would cover the cost of services for the other 40% of students who are uninsured. Project staff coordinated with the schools and parents on a plan to obtain parental consent for Medicaid billing as applicable, aiming to develop an insurance billing system to connect the vendors with students' Medicaid information to streamline reimbursement. One of the goals of this pilot was to enable OSH to investigate the potential sustainability of the program beyond the pilot. If the pilot was successful and proven to be cost-effective, New York City would replicate the model and expand vision services to middle and high school students in all public schools, with the City subsidizing services for the 40% who are uninsured.
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY license. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (7 pages))
- NLM Unique ID:
- 101770969 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101770969