|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 28, 2020
Contact: Ariana Drummond, (213) 399-7558
Email: Adrummond@bos.lacounty.gov
Contact: Kayla Tilton, (213) 309-6277
Email: KTilton@bos.lacounty.gov
Stepping Up to Support South Los Angeles Schools and Protect Students and Families During the COVID-19 Pandemic
WHEN: Friday, October 29, 2020
11:00 a.m. – Media Availability
11:15 a.m. – Program Begins
WHERE: Dorsey High School (in front of auditorium)
3537 Farmdale Ave, Los Angeles, CA
WHO:
- Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas
- Clifford B. Shiepe, President & CEO, T.H.E (To Help Everyone) Clinic
- Louise McCarthy, President & CEO, Community Clinic Association LA County (CCALAC)
- Mary Jane Puffer, Executive Director, LA Trust for Children’s Health
- Adebimpe Oni, Assistant Principal, Dorsey High School
WHAT:
Supervisor Mark-Ridley-Thomas in collaboration with Dorsey High School, the LA Trust for Children’s Health, T.H.E. Health and Wellness Centers and Dorsey High School will host a media availability in response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts on health care service delivery for students. In an effort to highlight the importance of services being provided at school-based Wellness Centers, Supervisor Ridley-Thomas will facilitating a donation of 5,000 N95 masks to Dorsey High School’s clinic and the 16 other school-based sites overseen by the LA Trust, to ensure that frontline providers are best equipped to continue providing care during the ongoing pandemic.
“Over the last three months we have conduct a number of masks distributions and they have been a testament to our commitment to meet the needs of our front line workers and most vulnerable residents,” said Supervisor Ridley-Thomas. “I’m pleased to partner with T.H.E. Clinic, Dorsey High School and the Trust for Children’s Health to highlight the important, ongoing work being done on campuses to keep communities healthy, one student and family at a time. That’s exactly what our communities need at this time.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have shifted to remote learning. However, school-based Wellness Centers have continued to provide services to students, their families, staff and community members.
“T.H.E. Clinic is a resource, a confidant, and an educator for students to learn and receive quality healthcare and support at our Wellness Center and Mobile Clinic. We are the link for students to feel and be well in school and in their daily lives,” said T.H.E. Health and Wellness Centers President and CEO, Clifford Shiepe.
T.H.E. Health and Wellness Centers, through its Mobile Clinic at Dorsey High School and the Wellness Center at Crenshaw High School, provide care to thousands of students who receive sports physicals, behavioral health support, vaccines, primary care and sensitive services.
National studies have found that 7 out of 10 teenagers said they were struggling with their mental health in some way during the COVID-19 pandemic, making school-based centers that provide mental health services critical during the pandemic.
“School-based health and wellness centers are a lifeline for students and their families, providing critical education, prevention, medical and mental health services to students, their families and the community,” said Louise McCarthy, President and CEO of the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County. “Even while schools are closed for in person learning, school health centers continue to serve the needs of students and their families."
|
