Virtual Panel: Schools as a Hub for Community Health

The MolinaCares Accord hosts a discussion about how schools can be used as a hub to improve student health outcomes

From free annual flu shots to innovative ways to provide mental health services, access to quality health care at school can make a huge impact on students, instilling healthy habits they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. Please enjoy our virtual panel discussion with education and health care experts from across Texas, highlighting how schools can be used as a hub to increase access to essential, high-quality health care, ultimately increasing attendance and improving student health outcomes.

Discussion topics include:

• Innovations to the traditional nurses’ office
• Reaching underserved populations
• Boosting school attendance and performance
• Expanding access to mental health services
• Building foundations for healthy lives

Panel speakers include:

• Mayela Castañon, CEO, Uvalde Community Health Development, Inc.
• Edna Dudley, associate vice president of healthcare services, Molina Healthcare of Texas
• Victoria Ford, president and CEO, Texas Healthcare and Bioscience Institute
• Becca Harkleroad, RN, NCSN, district lead nurse, Lake Travis ISD and advocacy chair, Texas School Nurses Organization
• Gwendolyn Johnson, former director of health and medical services, Houston ISD
• Hannah Sukany, director of network development, Communities In Schools of Texas
• Brian White, CEO, Goodside Health

Haley Hernandez, health reporter for KPRC NBC Houston, will moderate the panel.

Opening remarks were provided by Victoria Ford, president and CEO of the Texas Healthcare and Bioscience Institute and former Chief Policy and Regulatory Officer at Texas Health and Human Services Commission. She has over 29 years of Texas public policy experience including policy development, advocacy, and administration. In her role at Texas HHSC, Ford managed over 2,200 employees across five divisions, which were responsible for regulating health care facilities, streamlining business processes and programs, enhancing data and analytics, and more. She began her career in the Texas Legislature, holding key staff roles in the Texas House of Representatives, Texas Senate, and the Office of the Governor.