“Our work in Normandy, which we call a Youth Impact Partnership, is the first place where we’re bringing our three key strategies — empowering teens, equipping adults, and strengthening systems — together in one geographically defined community — a school district. Solving complex systems challenges requires a multi-front approach, and with such committed and expert partners at the table, we’re laying a foundation that will create equitable opportunities for youth to succeed.”
– Claire Wyneken, Wyman President and CEO
Over the course of the last year, Wyman has worked alongside the Normandy Schools Collaborative to develop a system-wide solution to align more than 35 partners serving the district to help the Collaborative achieve better outcomes, with greater efficiency, for students and the community. A result of this work is the introduction and strategic alliance between the partners involved in the new health center. The center opened on Aug. 10, and is available to Normandy Schools Collaborative youth and staff. Learn more.
“We are here to partner with the district, and support them in providing the students with what they need, when they need it, and with measurable quality – so that they can learn in the classroom and develop the skills needed for success in life,” adds Wyneken. “Too many students and their families don’t have access to quality healthcare they deserve, and the Center changes that. With this essential service, students will have more of what they need to learn and grow.”
As the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports, research has shown that poor health is a barrier to student learning, is associated with lower grades and is a common reason why students miss school or drop out. School-based health clinics, such as Affinia Healthcare at Normandy High School, help educators address not just their students’ educational needs, but needs of the whole self, such as health and emotional well-being.
Read more in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.