Funding provides access to telehealth services
for all students enrolled in the district at no cost through the
2028-29 school year.
UVALDE,
Texas, May 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Uvalde
Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD) today announced
that students will have access to virtual health care through a
partnership with Hazel Health, a leading telehealth provider, and
Superior HealthPlan (Superior), the Texas-based subsidiary of Centene Corporation
(NYSE: CNC). Thanks to an investment of $250,000 from Superior, all UCISD students will
have access to Hazel Health's high-quality care – at school and at
home – through the 2028–2029 school year. The service will be
accessible to all students enrolled in the district at no cost to
their families.
"No matter where a student comes from or what they have
experienced, they should have the opportunity to do and be anything
they want," said Ashley Chohlis,
superintendent of UCISD. "That's only possible if they attend
school ready to learn. This partnership with Hazel Health and
Superior HealthPlan will remove the health-related barriers to
learning that keep students out of class. Providing our 4,062
students with access to care from diverse providers at no cost to
families will be instrumental in helping them show up physically
and emotionally ready to reach their full potential and help
transform the future of our community."
UCISD's partnership with Hazel Health and Superior, which began
in 2022, represents a key component of the district's plan to
ensure that opportunity and achievement define the community
through student-centered leadership. As an extension of this
partnership, Superintendent Chohlis plans to have student
ambassadors learn how to champion physical and mental well-being
with peers and adults, spreading the word about the support
available to the community through the district.
Hazel Health provides virtual care in more than 170 school
systems across 14 states, making it the country's largest
telehealth partner for schools. Hazel Health's innovative virtual
care delivery model removes barriers that have historically
impacted the Uvalde area, including cost, transportation,
immigration status, and a shortage of providers.
Matching students to providers that reflect the community they
serve is a core tenant of Hazel Health's culturally humble
approach. Approximately 50% of the company's on-staff providers
identify as people of color and speak more than 30 languages, which
means UCISD students and families can work with providers who are
licensed in Texas, speak their
native language, and view their cultural background as an asset to
care.
The results of the program speak for themselves: Clemson University recently found that more than
75% of students using Hazel Health services see significant
clinical improvement with equitable results across all races
and ethnicities.
"Meeting the needs of the whole child is a community effort that
requires innovation and collaboration, like the partnership between
Superior, UCISD, and Hazel Health," said Andrew Post, Chief Innovation Officer at Hazel
Health. "This model exemplifies how working together can transform
outcomes through access to care grounded in prevention and early
intervention. We're proud to be part of a partnership that steps
beyond the boundaries of traditional models to ensure schools are
set up to serve all their students' needs."
As a leading Medicaid managed care organization in Texas, Superior provides health care to more
than 1.7 million people across the state, including about 25% of
Uvalde County residents. To date,
Superior and the Centene Foundation have joined forces to invest
more than $8 million to support
Uvalde, including funding for a new community center, ongoing
access to behavioral health services, and financial support for
wellness fairs and other Uvalde area events.
"We're proud of this partnership with UCISD and Hazel Health
because we know it will make a significant impact in the lives of
children and youth in the Uvalde area," said Dr. Susan Mills, senior vice president of Population
Health and Clinical Operations at Superior HealthPlan. "This
program means students will have access to quality, local physical
and mental health care, and we look forward to working together to
support students and their families for years to come."
To learn about how Hazel Health operates in schools, visit
https://www.hazel.co/districts-schools/hazel-in-schools.
About Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District
Uvalde CISD consists of 1,093 square miles in Uvalde, Real
and Zavala counties. Located in
the city of Uvalde are four secondary campuses: Morales Jr. High,
Uvalde High School, Uvalde Early College High School, and Crossroads
Academy. There are five elementary campuses: Uvalde Dual Language
Academy, Dalton Elementary, Batesville School, Uvalde Elementary, and Flores Elementary. The
mission of Uvalde CISD, a progressive rural community with a
heritage of inspiring and growing leaders, is to ensure each
student has an excellent foundation to reach his or her goals
through personalized and rigorous instruction, global experiences,
a dedicated staff with high expectations, community commitment, and
pride in the achievement of all students. Learn more at
https://www.ucisd.net/about-ucisd.
About Hazel Health
Hazel Health is the nation's largest and most trusted provider of
school-based telehealth. By partnering with districts and health
plans across the country, Hazel transforms schools into the most
accessible front door to pediatric healthcare. Today, Hazel's
licensed providers deliver teletherapy and virtual care (in school
or at home) to over four million K-12 students, regardless of their
ability to pay. Hazel aims to remove all barriers to the mental and
physical health care that children need to thrive: in school, at
home, and in life. www.Hazel.co.
About Superior HealthPlan
Founded in 1999, Superior
HealthPlan is a managed care company that delivers quality
health care throughout Texas.
Committed to transforming the health of the community, one person
at a time, Superior supports active local involvement in all 254
Texas counties with 3,200
employees throughout the state. Superior is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a leading multi-national health
care enterprise offering both core Medicaid and specialty services.
More information on Superior can be found at
www.SuperiorHealthPlan.com.
Media Contacts:
Uvalde CISD
Anne Marie Espinoza |
amespinoza1075@uvaldecisd.net | 830-278-6655
Hazel Health
Steven Masnjak |
stevenmasnjak@hazel.co
Superior HealthPlan
mediainquiries@superiorhealthplan.com
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SOURCE Hazel Health