Empowering Students with Legacy’s School-Based Health Clinics

Natalie Serrano is a senior at YES

Prep Fifth Ward Charter School who is passionate about soccer. But when she tore her meniscus and started experiencing knee pain, it was a major setback. Thankfully, she found the Legacy School-Based Health Care (SBHC) and Nurse Practitioner Amber Gardner, who played a huge role in getting her back on track.

SBHC provides comprehensive pediatric and behavioral health care right on campus, reducing time out of the classroom for students and time away from work for parents and guardians. Students, their siblings, and the children of school staff receive the same quality of care they would find in any of Legacy’s larger clinics.

Under Gardner’s care, Serrano was able to lower her glucose levels and learn how to better manage her diabetes. “Legacy has kept me out of the danger zone,” Serrano said. “I’ve been able to create a realistic diet that I can follow on my own as well as understand why certain things happen to my body.”

“It’s been my pleasure to have Natalie under my care,” Gardner said. “Her commitment to her own health and wellness has led to positive health outcomes. It has been rewarding to partner with her and celebrate her progress over the past two years.”

Serrano adds that the clinic’s accessibility has made it possible to achieve her health goals. “When I really need to see the nurse practitioner, I’m able to quickly get an appointment, and since the clinic is at school, I don’t need a parent to bring me,” Serrano explains.

All three of Serrano’s siblings also use Legacy’s services, relieving the burden of juggling work and caregiving with scheduling and transporting the children for appointments. Serrano’s mother, Mary Serrano, is grateful for the program. “Legacy has played a critical role in the health of my family for the past 11 years,” she recalled. “The convenience and quality of care is incomparable legacy.community/golf

Serrano’s school is one of 34 SBHC locations at YES Prep, KIPP, and Galena Park ISD schools. The clinic staff partner with teachers, counselors, parents, and students by attending events, becoming familiar faces on campus and part of the school’s team.

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“Our success relies on collaboration and relationships,” said Stephanie Ramirez, Legacy’s Vice President of School-Based Health. “It’s rewarding seeing students open up and have real, down-to-earth chats with our clinicians and staff about stuff they’d never talk about with their parents. We really get to connect with them using their own lingo and just being there for them.”

That trust allows Legacy’s staff to better understand their young patients. “If a child comes to us with a fever or backache, the symptoms may only scratch the surface,” Ramirez pointed out. “There could be underlying issues at home or school affecting their overall health. Our presence and resources allow us to treat the whole student, addressing all potential concerns.”

This spring, Legacy’s Senior Director of School-Based Behavioral Health Services

Roma Bhatt testified in Austin in support of Senate Bill 1966. The bill would create a grant program for school-based health care initiatives in underserved areas of the state. Bhatt emphasized the positive impact of schoolbased health programs on students’ physical and mental wellbeing, and the creation of a safer, more supportive environment for all students and school personnel.

Three new SBHC clinics are scheduled to open by summer’s end. “We’ve grown so quickly.” said Ramirez, “I want to revisit our older clinics that have run out of space because the demand is so great. We want to create our school based clinic space as one that makes these children feel valued, understood, and cared for.”

Longer term goals include educational opportunities for students interested in learning more about careers in health care. “Let’s think outside the box of what could we really do,” encouraged Ramirez, “not only with keeping our students healthy, but also helping them then become advocates for health and well-being, with an inside look at what it’s like to be a clinician or a medical assistant.”

That’s the path for Natalie Serrano, who aspires to be a dental hygienist. She graduates from YES Prep this summer and looks forward to the next chapter in her life in the medical field. Who knows – she may eventually join Legacy to help future students meet their own health goals!