Mission Moments: The Power of Being There
When we talk about school-based health services, it’s easy to focus on numbers: how many students we saw, how many vaccines we administered, or how many physicals we completed. But behind every encounter is a child, a family, and a moment when access to care changed a life. We’d like to share three stories that illustrate the impact of meeting students where they are.
Our first story is about a Council Bluffs elementary student.
The student was struggling to eat because of severe dental pain caused by multiple cavities and a broken tooth. The student’s mother had been trying to find dental care, but language was a barrier. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the school nurse reached out to our team for help.
One of our medical assistants, who is bilingual, connected directly with the student’s mother, coordinated the necessary arrangements, and secured a dental appointment for the very next day. The mother was deeply grateful for the quick response. Today, that young child is no longer living with daily dental pain and is connected to ongoing preventive dental care and support for years to come.
While this story focused on a need that was apparent, sometimes the needs we uncover are not visible on the surface.
A middle school student came to our Mobile Medical Unit with their sibling for routine vaccinations and well-child exams. During the visit, the student completed a standard depression screening and scored in the severe depression range, disclosing thoughts of suicide.
As we learned more, the reason became heartbreakingly clear. Just months earlier, the student had lost a family member to suicide. The family had recently relocated and had not yet connected with either primary care or mental health services. They were grieving, isolated, and carrying an overwhelming burden.
Our team immediately went into action. While one staff member stayed by the student’s side, offering comfort and reassurance, others coordinated with their family and school counselor to ensure they received emergency mental health care that same day. We remained connected throughout the school year to help support ongoing care. What began as a routine school-based health visit became a critical intervention at exactly the right moment.
In moments like these, we are reminded that access to care can change the trajectory of a child’s life, and that meaningful impact doesn’t always happen in a single encounter. Sometimes it happens through persistence, partnership, and a commitment to helping entire families to overcome obstacles one step at a time.
Last fall, nurses from several schools contacted us about students who were behind on required vaccinations. We soon discovered that some of these students were siblings from a family that had recently immigrated.
Their family faced language barriers, transportation challenges, and difficulties navigating the healthcare system. Using interpreter services, our team worked closely with to complete consent forms and coordinate care. We even made a special trip to an additional school site so the two youngest children could receive their vaccinations at school. The students were nervous but did great! Over time, all five siblings were brought up to date.
The story didn’t end there. Later in the year, one of the older siblings received a sports physical through our school-based program and was thrilled to join the high school soccer team for the first time.
These stories remind us that healthcare is about much more than treating illness. It’s about removing barriers, building trust, responding in moments of crisis, and creating opportunities for children to learn, grow, and thrive.
Every day, our school-based health team meets students where they are – whether that means relieving pain, providing lifesaving mental health support, or helping a family navigate a new community. This past year, Ellie, Kay, and Ana have worked side by side with school staff and families to ensure students receive the care they need, when and where they need it. And through her daily presence in our schools, Teresa is building trusted relationships with students, helping them feel safe, seen, valued, comfortable, and confident seeking help. Those connections often become the bridge that makes healthcare easier to accept, easier to navigate, and ultimately more effective.
Through this work, we are not only improving health outcomes; we are helping children reach their full potential. And that is our mission in action.