Free screenings and school supplies at back-to-school health fair means 200 homeless children in metro Denver will have a better chance to beat the odds and succeed when they return to the classroom.
DENVER (August 14, 2010) — One in 50 children across America will experience homelessness this year. There are an estimated 3,000 homeless children and teens under the age of 18 in metro Denver on any given night. The impact of homelessness on a child’s physical and mental health, behavioral and cognitive development can have serious consequences that last into their adult lives.
On Saturday, August 14th, the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless will host its annual Back to School Health Fair to help ensure that dozens of children living in motels, shelters or in transitional housing around the Denver metro area get at least the basic screenings and immunizations that they might otherwise miss.
Many homeless children are missing out on critical health care; 33 percent lack essential immunizations, 27 percent have never seen a dentist and 15 percent receive their only medical care in emergency rooms. Colorado ranks an astonishing 49th in the nation when it comes to insuring children living at or below the Federal Poverty Line. There are an estimated 165,000 children statewide who don’t have health insurance, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Health fair organizers are planning for a busy morning of immunizations and hearing, vision and dental screenings at the Coalition’s Stout Street Clinic. To make the day more fun, there will also be some healthy hands-on exhibits, a reading corner, face painters, crafts, free hair cuts and lunch. The first 200 children will receive a backpack filled with school supplies, thanks to the generous support of US Bank, the Denver Outlaws, DISH Network, and EduKit Inc., who have partnered with the Coalition for this event. The Coalition is also grateful for our volunteer medical screeners: Children's Dentistry of Aurora, Children's Eye Physicians and Advanced Audiology.
Getting a strong start on the school year is vital for homeless children who have extra barriers when it comes to school attendance and learning. Like other low-income children, they may start the day off malnourished and go home to a crowded, unsafe environment. Homeless children are also likely to change schools two to three times in one year, falling behind academically four to six months with each move.
The frequent moves can make it difficult to form friendships, leading them to withdraw in class or act out. Homeless children are twice as likely as other children to repeat a grade, to be expelled or to drop out of school all together.
Last year the Coalition introduced an electronic registration system – to track basic demographic and medical records for each child. This year, they are adding a new component to the database – the child’s school. If parents know which school their child will be attending this fall, Stout Street Clinic staff will be able to follow up with a school nurse about children needing further treatment.
Also new this year - dentists will be offering fluoride treatments for children under three. A survey by the state Department of Public Health and Environment found that 8 percent of Colorado’s children didn’t receive needed dental care. One reason - not all dental care providers will take children with Medicaid or CHP+ insurance.
The Back to School Health Fair comes during National Health Center Week 2010, which runs the second week of August each year. Community health centers like the Stout Street Clinic are on the front line of expanding primary care and preventive services and making health care accessible for everyone. For more details visit www.healthcenterweek.org.
There are an estimated 11,000 homeless people on any given night in the seven-county Denver metro area. Nearly half of people who are homeless are in families with young children.
The mission of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is to work collaboratively toward the prevention of homelessness and the creation of lasting solutions for homeless and at-risk families, children, and individuals throughout Colorado. CCH advocates for and provides a continuum of housing and a variety of services to improve the health, well-being and stability of those it serves.
Back to News Releases