RIDE Announces Innovative Wellness Clinics for Three Providence Schools: Collaboration with CVS Health Foundation, Partnership for Rhode Island, The Papitto Foundation & Rhode Island Foundation to Bring Nationally Recognized SMART Model to PPSD

Roger Williams Middle School SMART Clinic Transformation Team

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) – in collaboration with the CVS Health Foundation, Partnership for Rhode Island, The Papitto Foundation, and the Rhode Island Foundation – is bringing the nationally recognized SMART Student Health and Wellness Model to the Providence Public School District (PPSD). Roger Williams Middle School and Mount Pleasant High School have been selected to open as flagship sites for the SMART Clinics in early 2021, with a third school to be selected.

“Supporting the health of our students and our entire school community can be a powerful change in Providence and a much-needed resource for our families,” said Angélica Infante-Green, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education. “When we heard the story of SMART’s impact in other schools and communities across the country, we immediately knew it could make a real difference for the students, staff, and families of Providence.”

Ginn Group Collaborative (GGC), the SMART Model’s Architect and Implementation Team, began planning for customization and adaptation of the Model months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, with the goal of supporting classroom success by identifying and meeting students’ physical and behavioral wellness needs. The Providence Community Health Centers, the state’s largest health center network, is partnering with SMART to provide the clinical and support staff who will work in the schools to deliver care to students. Establishment of the two flagship clinics is being privately funded by the Partnership for Rhode Island and CVS Health Foundation, with fiscal agency support from the Rhode Island Foundation. The Papitto Foundation will be supporting the third clinic.

“The Partnership is thrilled to bring the SMART Health Model to Providence,” said Tom Giordano, Executive Director, Partnership for Rhode Island. “By making our teachers, staff, students, and their families healthier and ready to excel, we are investing in the future of an entire community. We are so excited to open these two clinics and for a third to begin its process of finding a home. There is no better investment than in health, wellness, and education results.”

The initial philanthropic investment of up to $2 million will cover the due diligence, system analysis, business planning, and implementation management, as well as the capital facilities and operational costs, for the initial cohort of flagship SMART Clinics. The SMART Model will support the Turnaround Action Plan for the Providence schools as part of its “Engaged Communities” and “Excellence in Learning” pillars.

“SMART focuses on ‘Reaching ALL, to ensure the wellness of all students.’ With students and teachers returning to school after a period of unprecedented disruption, the SMART Model’s capacity to positively impact health and academics is more imperative now than ever. We are very honored to be working in support of Providence students, families, and schools,” said Melanie Ginn, President and CEO of GGC.

“We know how critical it is to ensure that all youth in the communities we serve have access to health care as a path to academic success,” said Eileen Howard Boone, President of the CVS Health Foundation. “This model is a proven approach to improving a student’s health and academic success, as well as delivering benefits school-wide, to students’ families, and the community at large. We are excited to see the impact this program will have on schools in our home state of Rhode Island.”

“Just as we know that kids who read, succeed, we know equally as well that students who are healthy in body and mind are more engaged in the classroom and more likely to be on a path to graduation,” said Barbara Papitto, Chair of The Papitto Foundation. “Children shouldn’t have to worry about not feeling well or going to school sick. By making this investment in the health and wellness of children in Providence, we hope to make it easier for them to focus on achieving their dreams – whether that’s going to college or, perhaps, starting a business.”

“We’re grateful to the many donors who have stepped forward to support this innovative approach to providing access to head-to-toe health care services to Providence families,” said Neil D. Steinberg, President and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation. “Every student deserves an opportunity to reach his or her full potential. Providing ready access to the things that will keep kids well – healthy meals, needed medical and behavioral health care, and more – is an important part of closing education achievement gaps and supporting educators within the public school system as they help their students navigate all aspects of life.”

Due to this year’s unique circumstances, the flagship clinics’ openings will be phased in over the course of the 2020-2021 school year, adapting and flexing with the needs and capacity onsite at the schools – a hallmark of the SMART Model approach. The SMART Clinics, which will be staffed with a team of at least five health professionals from the Providence Community Health Centers, will include medical and behavioral health clinicians who can diagnose, treat, and prescribe, as needed, for routine illness or injuries onsite for all students and staff in the school.

What sets the model apart is its emphasis on student, family, and faculty wellness and prevention, and a relationally based Whole Child 360 approach that is focused on classroom success as a primary indicator for long-term socioeconomic outcomes and equity. The Providence Community Health Centers was selected as the medical provider partner for the initial clinics to implement this model due to its leadership’s vision, capacity for innovation, and organizational expertise.

SMART consistently reaches 95-100 percent of students in a given school building, delivering improved health outcomes and attendance – thus increasing academic performance – and doing so at a low cost per student. SMART has also been recognized for its focus on restructuring the traditional primary care approaches that, when simply placed within schools, have often proved unsuccessful, making the SMART Model the most effective and financially sustainable as a legacy asset embedded in the school over the long term.

SMART was developed in Chicago in 2013 with Melanie Ginn as the Chief Architect and Strategist, in collaboration with funding and thought leader partner CVS Health. Additional partners include Aramark, joining in 2018 with a 5-year commitment to fund infrastructure for expansion, and the University of Alabama.

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US Representatives, Industry Leaders and Nationally Renowned Physicians and Academic Experts Laud the Transformational Impact of SMART at Annual D.C. Symposium and Congressional Briefing   

(Washington, D.C.)  The SMART (School Health Model for Academics Reaching All and Transforming Lives) Model’s Annual SMART Symposium took place last week in Washington, D.C., hosted by Ginn Group Collaborative (GGC), architect of the SMART Model, and sponsored by CVS Health (CVSH) and Aramark. The theme for this year’s symposium was “Resiliency as Transformational.”

On Wednesday, December 11, the symposium culminated with the 2019 Congressional and Industry Leaders’ Breakfast Panel at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill, co-hosted by Congresswoman Terri Sewell (AL-7), Ginn Group Collaborative, and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation.

Sewell praised local leaders from the University of Alabama and from her district, in Pickens County, Alabama, as well as national SMART Model Architect, Melanie Ginn, and the generous funders from CVSH and Aramark for adapting the award-winning SMART Model to meet the needs of students in rural areas with such outstanding results.

“What I love about the SMART Model is that you are providing immediate assistance and help to students right where they study and right where they learn,” said Sewell.

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) provided the closing remarks for the event and commended her constituents in the audience. She elaborated on her personal connections with the Chicago SMART Clinics, including at her alma mater, Sullivan High School, and at Gale Community Academy, where her mother was a teacher. “I know how much these services are needed, how beautifully they are delivered, and how much enthusiasm, participation, and buy-in there is,” said Schakowsky. “It’s really a brilliant model, and this is exactly the kind of thing we need more of,” she said.

This three-day, interdisciplinary, multi-sector professional development opportunity for the SMART Model’s medical and behavioral health providers and educational leaders from across the country aims to inspire the SMART Teams to continue the mission of screening and identifying barriers to academic success and maximizing conditions for optimal learning.

All the individuals implementing the Model were awarded full scholarships by CVSH and Aramark to attend both events to be edified in order to share best practices and create further innovation on the Model’s capacity to effect positive change in urban and rural school districts from grades PK–12 and in post-secondary arenas for vulnerable populations.

Keynote speakers for this year’s SMART Symposium included Allyson Mackey, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, who presented on the science of brain plasticity, building resiliency, and the conditions that allow a growth mindset to flourish.

Additional keynote speakers were: Michael Lawson, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Alabama Department of Education; Gayle Jordan-Randolph, M.D., psychiatrist and faculty member at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine; and Derek Lavender, J.D., patent attorney and his wife, LeAnne Lavender, M.B.A., Director of Fundraising, MudLOVE, who together gave a personal reflection on resiliency and grit to underpin the symposium’s theme of “Resiliency as Transformational,” as a defining characteristic to model for students to fuel their success in the classroom and life.

Yale-trained physician, Dr. Garth Graham, President of the Aetna Foundation, made a special appearance to address the group on how “SMART Reimagined the Social Determinants of Health into the Health Determinants of Education.”

At the SMART Celebrations dinner following the symposium, the annual “Reaching All, Transforming Lives” awards were presented by SMART Model architect Melanie Ginn of (GGC) and David Casey, Vice President of Workforce Strategies and Chief Diversity Officer of  CVSH, SMART Model Legacy Sponsor, and Karen Cutler, Vice President of Public Affairs at Aramark, to recognize leaders who have played a critical role in the success of the SMART Model. This year’s awardees were: Ernie DuPont, Senior Director of Workforce Initiatives, CVSH; Mary Crang, DNP, an original SMART Model collaborator and champion; Scott Ahlman, Principal, Hibbard Elementary School, Chicago; Sharon Davila, SMART Utilization Manager, Hibbard Elementary; Jackie Ader, Certified SMART LCSW at Gale Community Academy, Chicago; Jamie Chapman, Superintendent of Pickens County Schools, Alabama; Dr. Valerie Jackson, Principal, Reform Elementary School, Pickens County, Alabama; and Kim Taylor, SMART Utilization Manager, Pickens County, Alabama. The crystal awards are in the shape of an iceberg, which symbolizes the SMART Model’s “Whole Child, Whole School, Whole Community” approach to health care.

Wednesday’s prestigious congressional and industry leaders panel was moderated by Ernie DuPont, and the panelists were: David Casey; Dr. Liza Cariaga-Lo, former Vice President at Brown University, CEO of the LCLO group, and formative evaluator of the Model; Dr. Peter Hlebowitsh, University of Alabama, Dean of the College of Education; Dr. Laurie Carrier, Chief Medical Officer, Heartland Health Centers; and Melissa Niven, Program Administrator for the Helping Families Initiative of the District Attorney’s Office of Jefferson County, Alabama.

To introduce and set the tone for the panel, President and CEO of GGC, Melanie Ginn, unveiled the SMART Chronicle: 6 years of SMART Model Impact, Data and Outcomes.

“The SMART Chronicle is a living document,” said Ginn. “Just since this went to press, the amazing stakeholders that are at the helm have already made a huge difference in the lives of more children and their families,” Ginn said.

SMART was developed in Chicago in 2013 with Melanie Ginn, President and CEO of GGC, as the chief architect and strategist, in collaboration with funding and thought leader partner CVSH with David Casey and Ernie DuPont. Additional new partners include Aramark, joining in 2018 with a 5-year commitment to fund infrastructure for expansion, the University of Alabama, and Certified SMART Medical Providers Heartland Health Centers and Pickens County Primary Care.

SMART Student Health and Wellness Centers are now serving a total of eight schools: four schools in the Rogers Park Neighborhood in Chicago, in partnership with medical provider Heartland Health Centers and four schools in Pickens County, Alabama with certified SMART Medical Provider Pickens County Primary Care, improving health and educational outcomes for thousands of students, school faculty, and families across diverse communities. According to data gathered using eTHOS, SMART’s U.S. patent pending Knowledge Management system, the rural flagship SMART Clinics in Pickens County have engaged with an average of 94% of the schools’ populations. Pickens County High School’s graduation rate was up 11% after year 1 SMART operations and Reform Elementary School’s chronic absenteeism dropped by 34% after year 1.

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About Hispanic Heritage Foundation
The Hispanic Heritage Foundation promotes cultural pride, accomplishment, and the great promise of the community through public awareness campaigns seen by millions. HHF is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles with satellite workspaces in New York, Silicon Valley, San Antonio, and Miami (Visit HispanicHeritage.org). Follow HHF on Facebook and Twitter.

About Ginn Group Collaborative
Ginn Group Collaborative (GGC), led by President and CEO Melanie Ginn, is a nationally recognized design management firm with a proven track record in delivering exceptional outcomes and incisive analysis for clients. GGC brings objective and insightful perspective and expertise to review, research, develop, and deliver advanced business and legal analysis, strategies, and solutions. Learn more at ginngroupconsulting.com.

About SMART
This framework and Whole Child, Whole School approach immediately destigmatize the seeking and receipt of care for children and adults by inviting all in the building to trust and engage with the SMART Clinic staff. The SMART Model was developed in Chicago in 2013 with Ginn as the chief architect and strategist, in collaboration with funding and thought leader partner CVS Health. From this partnership, the National SMART Advisory Council has evolved to include Ernie DuPont, Senior Director of Workforce Initiatives, CVS Health; David Casey, Vice President of Workforce Strategies and Chief Diversity Officer, CVS Health; Jami Leveen, Director of Communications and Strategic Partnerships, Aramark; Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation; and Dr. Liza Cariaga-Lo, President and Founder at The LCLO Group—A Higher Education and Workforce Development Collaborative Firm. Learn more at smartstudenthealth.com.

Congresswoman Terri Sewell of Alabama’s 7^th Congresswoman Terri Sewell of Alabama’s 7th District “Thrilled” to Co-Host the 3rd Annual SMART Student Health and Wellness Congressional and Industry Leaders’ Breakfast Panel

Congresswoman Terri Sewell, U.S. Representative for Alabama’s 7th congressional district is pictured here with SMART Model sponsors and partners at the 2018 SMART Congressional Briefing. (From left to right: Dr. Karl Hamner, Director of the Office of Evaluation Research and School Improvement for The University of Alabama, College of Education; Dr. Peter Hlebowitsh, Dean of the College of Education at the University of Alabama; David Casey, Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President of Workforce Strategies, CVS Health; and Ernie DuPont, Senior Director of Workforce Initiatives, CVS Health; Congresswoman Sewell; Melanie Ginn, President and CEO of Ginn Group Collaborative and Architect of the SMART Model; Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation; and Jami Leveen, Director of Communications and Strategic Partnerships, Aramark.

(Washington, D.C.) Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL) is confirmed as the official co-host for the SMART Congressional and Industry Leaders’ Breakfast Panel along with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and Ginn Group Collaborative (GGC) on the morning of Wednesday, December 11, in rooms 2043 and 2044 of the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill. The SMART Model’s Legacy Sponsor, CVS Health, and Patron Partner, Aramark, are sponsoring this prestigious gathering, including providing full scholarships for every SMART Clinical Team Member and their schools’ principals and faculty representatives to attend.

Sewell, U.S. Representative for Alabama’s 7th Congressional District, and Co-Chair of the Ways and Means Committee’s Rural and Underserved Communities Health Task Force attended both the Inaugural 2017 and the 2018 Annual SMART Congressional Briefing in support of the work of her local constituents. She has praised the approach and results that SMART has offered to students and community members in Pickens County and across the nation. Born and raised in the heart of Alabama’s rural Black Belt, Congresswoman Sewell was the first black valedictorian of Selma High School. She is an honors graduate of Princeton University and Oxford University in England and received her law degree from Harvard Law School.

“I am thrilled to be co-hosting the 2019 SMART Congressional and Industry Leaders’ Breakfast. The SMART Model has had an immediate impact on the Pickens County, Alabama community, and I am excited to work with industry leaders and health, education, and workforce development stakeholders to replicate and expand the SMART Model’s reach across the nation, especially in underserved and vulnerable areas.” — Congresswoman Terri Sewell (AL-07), Co-Chair of the Ways and Means Committee’s Rural and Underserved Communities Health Task Force

The expert panel presentation will highlight 6 years of SMART Model impact and outcomes for the Whole Child, Whole School, Whole Community, presented by Melanie Ginn, President and CEO of GGC and Architect of the SMART Model. The panel will also feature Dr. Peter Hlebowitsh, Dean of the College of Education at the University of Alabama, and Dr. Liza Cariaga-Lo, CEO, LCLO Group and former VP of Brown University.

The Congressional and Industry Leaders’ Breakfast Panel is the culminating event of the three-day Annual SMART Symposium, an interdisciplinary, multi-sector, professional development training opportunity for SMART’s medical and behavioral health providers and educational leaders from across the country. Attendees gather in Washington, D.C. to share best practices and create further innovation on the Model’s capacity to effect positive change in urban and rural school districts from grades PK–12 and in post-secondary arenas for vulnerable populations.

The keynote speaker for this year’s SMART Symposium is Allyson Mackey, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. She earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of California, Berkeley and her B.S. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University.

Her research focuses on brain plasticity, learning, and structural and functional neuroimaging with the goal of promoting positive educational and health outcomes for all individuals, regardless of socioeconomic background. She will be presenting on the correlations between curiosity and brain plasticity and the conditions that allow growth mindset and resiliency to flourish.

SMART (School Health Model for Academics Reaching All and Transforming Lives) maximizes conditions for optimal learning to ultimately break the cycle of poverty and improve the trajectory of lives. SMART was developed in Chicago in 2013 with Melanie Ginn, President and CEO of Ginn Group Collaborative, as the chief architect and strategist, in collaboration with funding and thought leader partner CVS Health, with David Casey, Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President of Workforce Strategies, and Ernie DuPont, Senior Director of Workforce Initiatives. Additional new partners include Aramark, joining in 2018 with a 5-year commitment to fund infrastructure for expansion; the University of Alabama, as a regional rural leader; and Heartland Health Centers and Pickens County Primary Care, as Certified SMART Medical Providers.

SMART Student Health and Wellness Centers are now serving a total of eight schools: four schools in the Rogers Park Neighborhood in Chicago, in partnership with medical provider Heartland Health Centers, and four schools in Pickens County, Alabama with certified SMART Medical Provider Pickens County Primary Care, improving health and educational outcomes for thousands of students, school faculty, and families across diverse communities.

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About Ginn Group Collaborative

Ginn Group Collaborative (GGC), led by President and CEO Melanie Ginn, is a nationally recognized design management firm with a proven track record in delivering exceptional outcomes and incisive analysis for clients. GGC brings objective and insightful perspective and expertise to review, research, develop, and deliver advanced business and legal analysis, strategies, and solutions. Learn more at www.ginngroupconsulting.com.

University of Alabama Hosts Leaders from State Superintendent’s Office for Education for SMART Student Health and Wellness Center Tour

Several special visitors to the Reform Elementary SMART Clinic included Dr. Tony Thacker, Assistant Superintendent, Alabama State Department of Education (middle front row); Felicia Simpson, University of Alabama School of Education School Partnership Coordinator/Grant Writer (left, 2nd row); University of Alabama College of Education Dean, Dr. Peter Hlebowitsh; and Dr. Karl Hamner, among others who were hosted by Dr. Valerie Jackson, Reform Elementary Principal; Marilyn Smith, SMART FNP; Kim Taylor, SMART Clinic Utilization Manger; Vicki Britt, Pickens County Primary Care Office Manager; Kiana Winston, University of Alabama SMART MSW intern; and Teirdre Owens, SMART Regional Utilization Advisor, as well as several Reform Elementary teacher and student representatives.

Reform, Ala. — On Wednesday, July 24, leaders from the Alabama State Department of Education and Alabama Governor’s office visited the SMART Student Health and Wellness Clinic at Reform Elementary School for a clinic tour and meeting with local stakeholders to recognize the SMART’s transformational impact and discuss next steps to ensure legacy in Pickens County Schools.

Special guests for the tour included: Dr. Tony Thacker, Assistant Superintendent, Alabama State Department of Education; Paul A. Morin, Coordinator, Alabama Afterschool Community Network; and Dr. Faron Hollinger, President and CEO, Akribos Group.

The guests arrived at Reform Elementary where they were greeted by Dr. Valerie Jackson, Reform Elementary School principal and a cohort teachers and student representatives. The clinic tour was hosted by University of Alabama School of Education Dean, Dr. Peter Hlebowitsh; Dr. Karl Hamner; and School Partnership/Grant Writer, Felicia Simpson.

Dr. Hlebowitsh, Dean of the College of Education at University of Alabama, noted after visiting the clinics, “the University of Alabama has recognized and supports the SMART Model as one of its most fundamental, impactful initiatives. It encompasses every value that the University of Alabama College of Education identifies as important.”

Also present was Dr. Julia Boothe, founder of Pickens County Primary Care, the certified SMART medical provider along with Vicki Britt, Pickens County Primary Care Office Manager.

Pickens County School Superintendent Jamie Chapman led the local effort to bring SMART to his students in Pickens County and CVS Health, the Legacy Sponsor of SMART, provided significant funding to cover the costs to embed the model within the schools.

Wednesday’s tour was followed by a presentation from SMART Model architect Melanie Ginn who provided an overview of the extraordinary first-year outcomes and impacts of the model followed by next steps and action items to sustain the existing SMART Clinics as legacy in Pickens County Schools and the opportunity to expand to other areas around the state as needed.

SMART consented 99% of the students at Reform Elementary for care and provided care for 100% of those students in addition to faculty and staff. The significant results from just one year of SMART operations at Reform Elementary and Pickens County High School include an over 30% decrease in chronic absenteeism at both schools, 114 learning points gained at Reform Elementary and a 1% increase on the state report card for Pickens County High School. The SMART Clinic purpose is to support student academic achievement by ensuring the wellness of every student in the building. SMART achieves this by engaging with all students to identify and address physical and behavioral barriers to classroom success to create optimal opportunity for learning.

Additional GGC staff present included Dr. Yolima Moncada, Senior Director, SMART Clinical Operations; Juan Pablo Sanchez, Manager, SMART Business Development; and Teirdre Owens, SMART Regional Utilization Advisor. University of Alabama Masters of Social Work student, Kiana Winston, also shared her experience as a SMART Clinic intern and will begin her second year of field work at the Reform Elementary SMART Clinic this fall.

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About Ginn Group Collaborative

Ginn Group Collaborative (GGC), led by President and CEO Melanie Ginn, is a nationally recognized design management firm with a proven track record in delivering exceptional outcomes and incisive analysis for clients. GGC brings objective and insightful perspective and expertise to review, research, develop, and deliver advanced business and legal analysis, strategies, and solutions. Learn more at www.ginngroupconsulting.com.

SMART^™ Student Health and Wellness Model Expands to Gordo Schools for Fall 2019 Opening
CVS Health, Pickens County Primary Care, Aramark, and Ginn Group Collaborative Commit to Fund Expansion, 1,500 More Students and Faculty Reached

Members of the SMART Staff host an information and consent table at Gordo Elementary School registration. Pictured left to right: Dr. John Brandon, SMART Contracted Physician Preceptor; Kim Taylor SMART Utilization Manager; Amanda Newman, Gordo’s SMART Patient Services Representative; Dr. Yolima Moncada, Director of SMART Clinical Operations; and Juan Pablo Sanchez, SMART Business Development Manager.

Gordo, Ala. — Pickens County Primary Care and Ginn Group Collaborative (GGC) are pleased to announce two new SMART Clinics opening at Gordo High School to serve PK–12 students. The extraordinary success of the existing SMART Clinics at Reform Elementary (RES) and Pickens County High School (PCHS) combined with an outpouring of requests from parents, students, and district leadership helped to bring about this expansion, which will reach an additional 1,500 students, their families, and faculty and staff of both schools, playing a key role in the SMART Model’s rural health focus. All stakeholders worked diligently together on the applications, processes, credentialing, hiring, and training needed for the SMART Clinics to open when school started August 7.

The expansion is made possible, in part, through an additional financial commitment of $250,000 from CVS Health (CVSH), the SMART Model’s Legacy Sponsor, Ginn Group Collaborative, the SMART Model’s Architect, and Dr. Julia Boothe’s Pickens County Primary Care, the SMART medical provider partner. Efforts include investing in the renovation of existing clinic space in both schools, hiring and training of new clinic staff, and continuing the partnership with the University of Alabama, whose School of Social Work provides Master of Social Work interns completing field work in the SMART Clinics.

“As a family physician, I knew that the SMART Model’s daily capacity to reach our children at school, as a population, with a focus on wellness to improve educational outcomes, was a game-changer for supporting the community,” stated Dr. Boothe.

Superintendent of Pickens County Schools, Jamie Chapman, campaigned for the Gordo clinics’ opening following the success of the SMART Student Health and Wellness Clinics at RES and PCHS. “It’s not often that you come across a solution that reaches such a large percentage of the students. The results speak for themselves, in terms of the tremendous outcomes we have seen in just one year of SMART operations. We’ve seen head-turning numbers here.” said Chapman.

As Dr. Hlebowitsh, Dean of the College of Education at University of Alabama, noted after visiting the SMART Clinics at RES and PCHS, “The SMART Clinics are a beacon of light, a positive force attracting students and teachers alike, and thus activating teachers’ capacity to be active advocates for their students, giving them a place to go with their observations and knowledge.”

After only 6 months of SMART operations in Pickens County, the powerful effect the rural SMART Clinics have had includes a 55% drop in chronic absenteeism at RES, and, at PCHS, a 28% drop in absenteeism, a 35% drop in tardies, and a projected 4% graduation increase, according to data tracked using, eTHOS, the SMART Model’s Knowledge Management System. Both SMART Clinics have consented 99–89% of the students in those schools, respectively, and engaged with 99% of those consented students by utilizing the SMART Model’s signature Active Access to Active Care practice, a dramatically changed strategy for impact and vital component of the SMART Model.

Ernie DuPont, Senior Director Workforce Initiatives of CVSH, praised these “fantastic early numbers” affirming the SMART Model’s rapid results. “At CVS Health, we believe that every young person has unique potential waiting to be unlocked. SMART collaborates with educators to help put every student on a solid foundation and enables them to determine the path they will choose to walk.”

SMART was brought to Alabama, and piloted in Pickens County, at the invitation of Dr. Peter Hlebowitsh and University of Alabama Associate Dean, Dr. Karl Hamner, who continue to provide strong support for the model and its positive results.

Due to high utilization of the SMART Clinic at PCHS, a former home economics space is being renovated allow for a greater capacity to serve students.

SMART Model Architect Melanie Ginn stated, “These amazing local relationships, additional renovations, and new expansion to Gordo Schools demonstrate how we are building legacy in these sites and ensuring that the SMART Clinics will always be there for these students and as integral part of their schools.”

The SMART Model is the embodiment of the educational sector’s realization that teaching has become a “Whole Child” movement. This framework and Whole Child, Whole School approach immediately destigmatize the seeking and receipt of care for children and adults by inviting all in the building to trust and engage with the SMART Transformation Teams—the SMART Clinic staff.

There is ample evidence that poor health in childhood and adolescence is associated with higher risk of dropping out of high school. High school dropouts are more likely to be unemployed when compared against high school graduates, thus SMART’s impacting graduation rates directly impacts the cycle of poverty.

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About Ginn Group Collaborative

Ginn Group Collaborative (GGC), led by President and CEO Melanie Ginn, is a nationally recognized design management firm with a proven track record in delivering exceptional outcomes and incisive analysis for clients. GGC brings objective and insightful perspective and expertise to review, research, develop, and deliver advanced business and legal analysis, strategies, and solutions. Learn more at www.ginngroupconsulting.com.

FOR RELEASE: May 28, 2019
CONTACT: Roberto Callejas, Roberto@hispanicheritage.org

SMART Student Health and Wellness Model Achieves Six Years of “Whole-School” Transformational Impact Chronic Absenteeism Plummets at New Urban and Rural Expansion Sites

(Washington, D.C.), May 28, 2019 — The SMART (School Health Model for Academics Reaching ALL Transforming Lives) Student Health and Wellness Model is rounding out six years of operation in K–12 institutions across the U.S., with data from a new report card produced by Ginn Group Collaborative’s Knowledge Management System, eTHOS, that shows significant improvements in school performance such as drops in absenteeism that range from 55–70% at some schools and SMART Student Health and Wellness Center engagement levels averaging 97% of the schools’ populations.

In Chicago, the Flagship SMART Center at Sullivan High School is just completing its sixth year of operation. There, the SMART Student Health and Wellness Center has a tremendous track record of routinely consenting an average of 98% of the student population and providing physical and behavioral health care for 100% of those students, significantly increasing attendance by 3–4%, a profound movement by educational standards, and improving the school’s academic metrics and rating. Hibbard Elementary School in Chicago, which opened a new SMART Center in Fall of 2018, is now reporting a 70% reduction in chronic absenteeism.

After only 6 months of SMART operation in Pickens County, Alabama at the two new, rural Flagship SMART Centers at Reform Elementary School (RES) and Pickens County High School (PCHS), data collected from eTHOS proves the extraordinary impact that the SMART Centers are having on academic metrics for both RES and PCHS. Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and SMART Model’s multi-cultural advisor, recently toured these rural SMART Centers along with several fellow members of the National SMART Advisory Council including David Casey, Vice President of Workforce Strategies and Chief Diversity Officer, CVS Health; and Jami Leveen, Director of Communications and Strategic Partnerships, Aramark.

After touring both RES and PCHS SMART Centers, meeting with students, staff, faculty, the principals, Superintendent Jamie Chapman, and Dr. Julia Boothe, Founder of Pickens Country Primary Care, SMART’s Medical Provider Partner in Alabama, Melanie Ginn, President and CEO of Ginn Group Collaborative, presented a “State of SMART” address and luncheon to the Council and distinguished guests at the University of Alabama’s Carmichael Hall.

The powerful effect the new rural SMART Centers are having includes a 55% drop in chronic absenteeism at RES, and, at PCHS, a 28% drop in absenteeism, a 35% drop in tardies, and a projected 4% graduation increase. Both rural SMART Centers have engaged with 99% of the consented students without increasing net costs by utilizing the SMART Model’s signature Active Access to Active Care practice, a dramatically changed capacity for impact and vital component of the SMART Model.

“The Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s mission has been expanded thanks to the SMART Model,” said Tijerino. “Education and workforce development are cornerstones of our work across the U.S. and neither are possible without overall health as well as economic impact, in both urban and rural environments. The visit to the SMART Center in Alabama was very powerful for us and the other partners because it demonstrated the effective adaptability of the SMART Model and the immediate impact being made not just on the schools but on the entire region. It was also clear that American families, teachers and children have the same needs, concerns, and priorities across the country that the SMART Model is addressing,” said Tijerino.

According to additional data tracked using eTHOS, over the course of the initial 5 years of operation at the Chicago SMART Flagship Center, 2013–2018, the Expected Value-Return on Investment (EV-ROI) is 684% immediate return for every $1 spent and 3,968% long-term return for every $1 spent.

Multiple parties are working together toward the goal of sustaining SMART Student Health and Wellness Centers as lasting partners within these rural and urban schools involving direct communication and collaboration with superintendents, principals and education experts, with renovation and expansion plans for a new SMART Center to open at Gordo High School in Pickens County, Alabama.

Preparation are also underway for the 2019 Annual SMART Symposium and Congressional Briefing to be held in Washington, D.C., December 9–11, co-hosted by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and sponsored by SMART Model Legacy Partner, CVS Health, and Patron Partner, Aramark. The event will focus on past success and strategies to increase SMART’s reach to even more students in the 2020–2021 school year. As part of that plan, SMART Model architect, Melanie Ginn, is currently engaged in due diligence to expand and scale this this best practice SMART Model to Philadelphia, and Cleveland with support from the Cleveland Foundation, and the George Gund Foundation.

The SMART Model is dedicated to improving academic achievement in order to break the cycle of poverty, creating a new, antecedent component on the health care continuum spectrum with Active Access and Active Care. The purpose of the SMART Center is to identify risks and barriers to academic achievement and then provide interventions that will mitigate or eliminate those barriers, conversely creating the optimal conditions for students to learn and succeed.

The SMART Model is the embodiment of the educational sector’s realization that teaching has become a “Whole-Child” movement. This unique framework and approach immediately destigmatize the seeking and receipt of care for children and adults by inviting all in the building to trust and engage with the SMART Transformation Teams—the SMART Center staff.

The SMART Model was developed in Chicago in 2013 with Ginn as the chief architect and strategist, in collaboration with funding and thought leader partner CVS Health. From this partnership, the National SMART Advisory Council has evolved to include Ernie DuPont, Senior Director of Workforce Initiatives, CVS Health; David Casey, Vice President of Workforce Strategies and Chief Diversity Officer, CVS Health; Jami Leveen, Director of Communications and Strategic Partnerships, Aramark; Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation; and Dr. Liza Cariaga-Lo, President and Founder at The LCLO Group—A Higher Education and Workforce Development Collaborative Firm.

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About Hispanic Heritage Foundation

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation promotes cultural pride, accomplishment, and the great promise of the community through public awareness campaigns seen by millions. HHF is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles with satellite workspaces in New York, Silicon Valley, San Antonio, and Miami (Visit www.HispanicHeritage.org). Follow HHF on Facebook and Twitter.

About Ginn Group Collaborative

Ginn Group Collaborative (GGC), led by President and CEO Melanie Ginn, is a nationally recognized design management firm with a proven track record in delivering exceptional outcomes and incisive analysis for clients. GGC brings objective and insightful perspective and expertise to review, research, develop, and deliver advanced business and legal analysis, strategies, and solutions. Learn more at www.ginngroupconsulting.com.

National SMART Advisory Council Leaders and Funders from CVS Health, Aramark Hosted by University of Alabama College of Education and Tour SMART Student Health and Wellness Centers in Pickens County
Chronic Absenteeism Drops 55% After Only 6 Months of SMART Opening

Pictured from left to right: Karl Hamner, PhD; Faron Hollinger, PhD; Peter Hlebowitsh, PhD; Yolima Moncada, DNP; Melanie Ginn; David Casey; Antonio Tijerino; and Jami Leveen at University of Alabama’s Carmichael Hall.

(Pickens County, Alabama) The National SMART Advisory Council arrived in Pickens County Alabama for their first site visit to two new, rural Flagship SMART Clinics at Reform Elementary School (RES) and Pickens County High School (PCHS) on Friday, March 22, 2019. Council members included: David Casey, Vice President of Workforce Strategies and Chief Diversity Officer, CVS Health; Jami Leveen, Director of Communications and Strategic Partnerships, Aramark; Melanie Ginn, President and CEO of Ginn Group Collaborative (GGC); and Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. The visit was co-hosted by Dr. Peter Hlebowitsh, Dean at University of Alabama College of Education; Dr. Karl Hamner, Director, Office of Evaluation, University of Alabama College of Education; and Dr. Faron Hollinger, President and CEO of the Akribos Group.

The Council’s site visit was punctuated by a new report card released by GGC, the architect of the SMART Student Health Model. The latest metrics show the extraordinary impact that the SMART Clinics are having on academic and health metrics for both RES and PCHS after only 6 months of operation. The powerful impact of the clinics’ role in both schools includes a 55% drop in chronic absenteeism at RES and a 28% drop in absenteeism at PCHS. Additionally, both Clinics have engaged with 99% of the consented students by utilizing the SMART Model’s signature Active Access to Active Care, practice. Both schools opened new, rural flagship SMART sites at the start of the 2018–2019 school year.

After touring both RES and PCHS SMART Clinics, meeting with students, staff, faculty, the principals, Superintendent Jamie Chapman, and Dr. Julia Boothe, Founder of Pickens Country Primary Care, SMART’s Medical Provider Partner in Alabama, Ginn, presented a “State of SMART” address and luncheon to the Council and distinguished guests at the University of Alabama’s Carmichael Hall.

“To successfully deliver SMART to areas where it is most needed, it is crucial to examine the unique challenges faced in our expansion from urban to rural areas,” said Ginn.

This was the first time many of the stakeholders had seen the Alabama SMART Clinics in operation, and the experience made a profound impression on them, reinforcing their continued support of the Model.

Casey, of CVSH, also noted the power of putting faces with the numbers. “SMART is something I hold near and dear to my heart and it just makes sense. It’s natural for us at CVS Health to support it. It sits at the intersection of health education and workforce. They are not mutually exclusive, and any employer, any organization that needs great people, needs to be concerned about that triad. I was very impressed with what I saw today. I had seen the stats, but it’s always different when you go and see it for yourself and meet the folks on the ground.”

“The Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s mission has been expanded thanks to the SMART Model,” said Tijerino. “Education and workforce development are cornerstones of our work across the U.S. and neither are possible without overall health as well as economic impact, in both urban and rural environments. The visit to the SMART Clinic in Alabama was very powerful for us and the other partners because it demonstrated the effective adaptability of the SMART Model and the immediate impact being made not just on the schools but on the entire region.  It was also clear that American families, teachers and children have the same needs, concerns, and priorities across the country that the SMART Model is addressing.”

Leveen of Aramark agreed saying, “Seeing it live and hearing from the people that are the most directly connected and impacted by it was the most powerful part.”

GGC led the implementation of the new, rural flagship clinic in August 2018 with support from the University of Alabama and a significant financial commitment from CVSH. The collaborative then worked with the Pickens County School Board and District, and were pleased to name highly respected Pickens County Primary Care, owned by Dr. Julia Boothe, as their medical provider partner.

Multiple parties are working together toward the goal of sustaining SMART Student Health and Wellness Centers as lasting partners within these schools with next steps involving direct communication with the State of Alabama Superintendent of Education, Dr. Eric Mackey and his Chief of Staff, Dr. Jeffrey Langham.

SMART (School Health Model for Academics Reaching ALL Transforming Lives) is a school health solution dedicated to improving academic achievement in order to break the cycle of poverty, creating a new, antecedent component on the health care continuum with Active Access and Active Care. The award-winning public-private partnership that fuels the SMART Student Health and Wellness Model is revolutionizing the education sector’s advocacy in integrating physical, behavioral, social and emotional interventions as a normative partner to health care in public schools. This best practice Model is being successfully operated in selected urban and rural regions, including Chicago and rural Alabama, with plans to expand to other cities over the next 5 years including Cleveland and Philadelphia.

SMART was developed in Chicago in 2013, and the flagship SMART Center at Sullivan High School has now entered its sixth year of operation. There, the Model has a tremendous track record of routinely consenting an average of 98% of the student population and providing care for 100% of those students, thus significantly increasing attendance by 3–4%, a significant movement by educational standards, and improving the school’s academic metrics and rating, all at lower operational costs than traditional models.  Active Care, a key component of the SMART Model, is deployed via Active Access, a dramatically changed capacity for impact, routinely reaching 95–98% of students, without increasing net costs.

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About Ginn Group Collaborative

Ginn Group Collaborative (GGC), led by President and CEO Melanie Ginn, is a nationally recognized design management firm with a proven track record in delivering exceptional outcomes and incisive analysis for clients. GGC brings objective and insightful perspective and expertise to review, research, develop, and deliver advanced business and legal analysis, strategies, and solutions. Learn more at www.ginngroupconsulting.com.

For Immediate Release: December 13, 2018
Contact: Angela Elles, angela@ginngroupconsulting.com

2018 SMART™ Student Health and Wellness Congressional Breakfast Briefing Celebrated the Extraordinary Impact for Students and Schools and Honored the Late President H.W. Bush
The Honorable Terri Sewell and Senator Hatch’s Representatives Acknowledged SMART Transformation Teams in Attendance Representing Urban and Rural Students’ Needs

Pictured (left to right) David Casey, Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President of Workforce Strategies at CVS Health; Ernie DuPont, Senior Director Workforce Initiatives at CVS Health; Representative Terri Sewell (D-Ala); Melanie Ginn President & CEO Ginn Group Collaborative; and Antonio Tijerino, President & CEO, Hispanic Heritage Foundation at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington D.C. the morning of the 2nd Annual SMART Congressional Briefing Dec. 4, 2018

(Washington, D.C.) Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL) and speakers on behalf of Senator Orrin Hatch (R- UT) joined multi-disciplinary leaders from the education, healthcare, and private sectors on Wednesday, December 5, at the Dirksen Senate Office building on Capitol Hill for a Congressional Breakfast Briefing to hear the latest findings from Dr. Liza Cariaga-Lo of Brown University, regarding the nationally recognized SMART Student Health Model (School Health Model for Academics Reaching ALL Transforming Lives). In light of the sad news of the passing of President George H.W. Bush, special permission was granted for the event to continue on Wednesday, which was a National Day of Mourning. The gathering was dedicated in honor of the life of President Bush.

Dianne Browning, Professional Staff Member for Senator Hatch, who had planned to open the Briefing, but was called away by the State Funeral for the late President, attended on Hatch’s behalf and delivered his heartfelt regrets, affirming that he was genuinely looking forward to spending time with the school leaders and health care provider partners that are working together to provide the SMART Model to at-risk student populations. Browning stated that from the moment Senator Hatch heard debriefs about the SMART Model, his words were, “This is exactly what communities should be doing.” Browning continued noting that one thing Senator Hatch and President Bush had in common in relation to the gathering that day is that, “The Federal government doesn’t always have all the solutions and it takes communities, it takes education, it takes corporations and private enterprises coming together to forge solutions to take care of families.”

Sewell, U.S. Representative for Alabama’s 7th congressional district, attended the annual event in support of the work of her local constituents and praised the approach and results that SMART has offered to students and community members in her district and across the nation. “I am very proud to be a supporter of the SMART Model, and want to thank all the sponsors: CVS Health, Aramark, Ginn Group Collaborative, and especially the University of Alabama, Dr. Karl Hamner, Dr. Peter Hlebowitsh, and Dr. Julia Boothe,” said Congresswoman Sewell. “When you do prevention on the front-end you actually deliver better outcomes on the back-end. It’s so important that we spend our money wisely, the limited resources that we have, and why I am such a passionate advocate for this Model is because I know it can work; it has shown itself to work, not only in Chicago but in rural Alabama, and for that I am very grateful to those that have delivered and implemented this Model, but I would love to scale it throughout my district,” Sewell added.

The keynote speaker, Cariaga-Lo, presented her new Formative Evaluation White Paper, “SMART Leadership: Transformative Change Agents and the Essential Culture and Climate for Achieving Health and Education Outcomes,” as the culminating experience of the inter-disciplinary, multi-sector SMART Symposium, a 2-day event that aims to inspire and edify the grassroots professionals implementing the SMART Model. Dr. Cariaga-Lo, a Harvard educated Psychologist, is the former Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at Brown, Founder and CEO of LCLO Group, and has previously held positions at Yale and Harvard. This was her second formative evaluation of the model, which has greatly impressed her, as she noted: “The Model also shows great promise in ultimately reducing the financial burden of physical and behavioral health problems on students, their families, and the communities where they live,” she said. “SMART Leaders who have committed themselves to addressing adaptive challenges, in recognition of the centrality of the Whole Child in their solutions will reap great rewards for students, public education and health outcomes, that will be significant and transformational,” said Cariaga-Lo.

David Casey, Vice President, Workforce Strategies and Chief Diversity Officer at CVS Health, recognized those SMART professionals at the Congressional Briefing by offering these words of encouragement: “If you can’t learn, you can’t earn, and you all are a critical factor in breaking those cycles of poverty. You are the ones making it happen, and I want you to know that we are here in your corner; you inspire me, you motivate me, and I could not be happier to be a part of it.”

The SMART Congressional Breakfast Briefing and Symposium highlighted the leadership and culture required to sustain this transformative solution that is delivering dramatic outcomes for entire school populations in both urban and rural flagship sites, from grades pre-kindergarten–12. The annual event is hosted by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, SMART’s multi-cultural advisor, and Ginn Group Collaborative (GGC), architect of the Model, and is sponsored by CVS Health and Aramark.

SMART is a school health solution dedicated to improving academic achievement in order to break the cycle of poverty, creating a new, antecedent component on the health care continuum. The award-winning public-private partnership that fuels the SMART Student Health and Wellness Model is revolutionizing health care in public schools. This best practice Model is being successfully operated in selected urban and rural regions, including Chicago and rural Alabama, with plans to expand to other cities over the next 5 years.

SMART was developed in Chicago in 2013, and the flagship SMART Center at Sullivan High School has now entered its sixth year of operation. There, the Model has a tremendous track record of routinely consenting an average of 98% of the student population and providing care for 100% of those students, thus significantly increasing attendance by 3-4%, and improving the school’s academic metrics and rating, all at lower operational costs than traditional models. Active Care, a key component of the SMART Model, is deployed via Active Access, a dramatically changed capacity for impact, routinely reaching 95–98% of students, without increasing net costs. Sullivan Principal Chad Adams credits the SMART Model with influencing the culture of his school, “As I reflect on the turmoil I encountered while working to turn around a failing school, I now realize that having the SMART clinic was the primary differentiator for us in that process,” he says.

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), whose schedule was also affected by the State Funeral, sent her support, reflecting on the impact of the SMART Model at her alma mater, Sullivan High School, saying, “For too many of our students, the barriers to good physical and behavioral health are negatively impacting their capacity to learn and subsequent socio-economic life trajectories. With the Model’s Active Access, Active Care strategy in place, which entails the clinic staff working in close partnership with the principal and his faculty over the past five years, the outcomes and impact on students have been consistently significant.”

“I want to thank the many disparate stakeholders who came together, willing to make changes that allowed for this true innovation,” said Melanie Ginn, President and CEO of Ginn Group Collaborative. “The proof of concept we have now in the SMART Model shows that the trajectory of young lives can be positively supported when we break down silos between health and education and work together to swiftly design and deliver meaningful, lower-cost solutions.” This past summer, Ginn, presented the SMART Model’s latest metrics and documented results to The Republican Task Force on Hispanic Affairs, founded and led by Hatch. Ginn was also recently recognized with the “Transformational Leader Award” for the quantifiable impact of the SMART Model in Chicago at the 2018 Heartland Health Centers’ From the Heart Gala. 2018 expansion of the SMART Model has included new, rural SMART clinics opening in Pickens County Alabama, in partnership with the University of Alabama and Dr. Julia Boothe, and two additional Chicago clinics with Heartland Health Centers as the medical provider partner at Gale Community Academy and Hibbard Elementary School. Additional school districts in the Midwest and Northeast participated in this year’s SMART Symposium as they explored the possibility of opening their own SMART Clinics in the 2019–20 school year.

Dr. Peter Hlebowitsh, Dean of the College of Education at the University of Alabama, recommends the institutionalizing of the SMART Model stating, “When noting the evolution of the public-school system and its hallmark features, I can see the day when SMART Centers are as normative within public education as cafeterias—one in every school,” he says.

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About Ginn Group Collaborative
Ginn Group Collaborative (GGC), led by President and CEO Melanie Ginn, is a nationally recognized design management firm with a proven track record in delivering exceptional outcomes and incisive analysis for clients. GGC brings objective and insightful perspective and expertise to review, research, develop, and deliver advanced business and legal analysis, strategies, and solutions. Learn more at www.ginngroupconsulting.com.

For Immediate Release: December 14, 2018
Contact: Angela Elles, angela@ginngroupconsulting.com

SMART™ Student Health Honors University of Alabama and Pickens County Primary Care With “Reaching, All, Transforming Lives” Awards at Annual D.C. Symposium and Congressional Briefing
SMART Model Architect Melanie Ginn Presented the Awards

Jami Leveen, Aramark; Dr. Karl Hamner, Univ. of Alabama; David Casey, CVS Heath; Dr. Julia Boothe, Pickens County Primary Care; Ernie DuPont, CVS Health, and Melanie Ginn, Ginn Group Collaborative, celebrate with the Alabama awardees

(Washington, D.C.) Two special Alabama leaders recently received the first “Reaching All, Transforming Lives” awards from SMART Model architect Melanie Ginn of Ginn Group Collaborative (GGC) and Ernie DuPont of CVS Health (CVSH), at the semi-formal reception and dinner following the 2018 Annual SMART Symposium, on December 4th in Washington, D.C. Recipients of the awards were Dr. Julia Boothe, Founder of Pickens County Primary Care, medical provider partner for SMART sites in rural Alabama; and Dr. Karl Hamner, Director of the Office of Evaluation of the University of Alabama College of Education. Two of their Chicago SMART counterparts were also

recognized: Gwenn Rausch, CEO Heartland Health Centers (HHC), medical provider partner for SMART sites in Chicago; and Javonte Barber, Utilization Manager at the Sullivan High School SMART Student Health and Wellness Center. Each honoree has played a unique leadership role in ensuring the success of SMART Student Health and Wellness Centers in their regions. For each of these leaders, “success” is, in part, defined by each of their significant efforts that resulted in positively impacting the trajectories of children’s lives. SMART stands for School Health Model for Academics Reaching ALL Transforming Lives.

“When Dr. Boothe made the commitment for her personal physicians’ practice, Pickens County Primary Care, to become the medical provider partner to bring SMART to Pickens County, commencing with the PK-12 Schools in Reform, Alabama, she literally enabled the opportunity to develop a successful, sustainable blueprint for not only her own Pickens County, but for all students living in rural counties across Alabama and the country. Julia has been a gracious, wise and extraordinarily strong partner that we are blessed to have in this journey,” exclaimed Ginn, President and CEO of GGC.

“Dr. Hamner was the first to reach out to me to ask me to come to Alabama and evaluate the feasibility of bringing SMART to rural Alabama counties, to support academic success of students who have such amazing potential, but who have such limited access to needed resources. Since that day, Karl has been a tireless champion of the model on behalf of his region’s students. His heart and passion for this work have had a lasting impact on GGC’s capacity to imbed the model and bring in needed funding from CVS Health and Aramark, as well as other key partners, like the University of Alabama, and Dean Hlebowitsh,” noted Ginn.

The “Reaching All, Transforming Lives” Award is in the shape of a blue crystal iceberg, which symbolizes SMART’s “Whole Child” approach to health care. SMART builds long-term relationships, through an Active Access approach, with the students and their families and school faculty and staff, to understand and address the often-unseen risks to their wellness that could lie beneath the surface, negatively impacting their academic and future success in life.

Dr. John Brandon of Pickens County was also given a special recognition at the gathering for his dedication and volunteer service in establishing SMART Clinics in Pickens County.

Jami Leveen, Aramark; Dr. Karl Hamner, Univ. of Alabama; David Casey, CVS Heath; Dr. Julia Boothe, Pickens County Primary Care; Ernie DuPont, CVS Health, and Melanie Ginn, Ginn Group Collaborative, celebrate with the Alabama awardees.

“I hope these beautiful awards will serve as a wonderful reminder to these individuals of their continued strength as leaders that recognized the possibilities, continue to help us challenge the status quo, and thus bring “Whole Child” care to so many more students whose lives have truly been transformed,” said Ginn.

The gathering was a celebratory dinner topping off the day-long SMART Symposium, a meeting of disciplinary leaders from the education, healthcare, and private sectors interacting in order to highlight the leadership and culture required to sustain this transformative solution that is delivering dramatic outcomes for entire school populations in both urban and rural flagship sites, from grades pre-kindergarten–12. The annual event was co-hosted by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, SMART’s multi-cultural advisor, and GGC, and sponsored by CVSH and Aramark. In attendance were key members of CVSH’s Workforce Development, David Casey, Vice President, Workforce Strategies and Chief Diversity Officer and Ernie DuPont, Senior Director of Workforce Initiatives, as well as Jami Leveen, Director, Communications and Strategic Partnerships at Aramark. The following day, all the SMART Award Recipients and Alabama and Chicago’s SMART participants from the health and education sectors were welcomed at a Congressional Briefing at the Dirksen Senate Building, which included greetings from Senator Orrin Hatch’s (R-UT) office, a personal address praising their efforts by Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL), and a white paper presentation on the leadership and culture that has created the success of the model, by Dr. Liza Cariaga-Lo of Brown University.

SMART is a school health solution dedicated to improving academic achievement in order to break the cycle of poverty, creating a new, antecedent component on the health care continuum. The award-winning public-private partnership that fuels the SMART Student Health and Wellness Model is revolutionizing health care in public schools. This best practice Model is being successfully operated in selected urban and rural regions, including Chicago and rural Alabama, with plans to expand to other cities over the next 5 years. The flagship clinic was funded by Legacy Sponsor, CVSH, whose support continues to this day, now joined by Aramark with a 5-year commitment to sustain and expand the Model.

SMART was developed in Chicago in 2013, and the flagship SMART Center at Sullivan High School has now entered its sixth year of operation. There, the Model has a tremendous track record of routinely consenting an average of 98% of the student population and providing care for 100% of those students, thus significantly increasing attendance by 3-4%, and improving the school’s academic metrics and rating, all at lower operational costs than traditional models. Active Care, a key component of the SMART Model, is deployed via Active Access, a dramatically changed capacity for impact, routinely reaching 95–98% of students, without increasing net costs. Sullivan Principal Chad Adams credits the SMART Model with influencing the culture of his school, “As I reflect on the turmoil I encountered while working to turn around a failing school, I now realize that having the SMART clinic was the primary differentiator for us in that process,” he says.

The SMART sites in Reform, AL have already experienced similar success, even in their first three months of operation.

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About Ginn Group Collaborative
Ginn Group Collaborative (GGC), led by President and CEO Melanie Ginn, is a nationally recognized design management firm with a proven track record in delivering exceptional outcomes and incisive analysis for clients. GGC brings objective and insightful perspective and expertise to review, research, develop, and deliver advanced business and legal analysis, strategies, and solutions. Learn more at www.ginngroupconsulting.com.

For Immediate Release: December 14, 2018
Contact: Angela Elles, angela@ginngroupconsulting.com

Heartland Health Centers CEO and SMART™ Student Health Professionals Receive “Reaching, All, Transforming Lives” Awards Following Annual D.C. Symposium
SMART Model Architect Melanie Ginn Presented the Awards

Jami Leveen, Aramark; Javonte Barber, Sullivan High School SMART Center; David Casey, CVS Heath; Gwenn Rausch, Heartland Health Centers; Ernie DuPont, CVS Health; Dr. Julia Boothe, Pickens County Primary Care, and Melanie Ginn, Ginn Group Collaborative, celebrate with the Chicago awardees

(Washington, D.C.) Two Chicago health care leaders recently received the first “Reaching All, Transforming Lives” awards from SMART Model architect Melanie Ginn of Ginn Group Collaborative (GGC) and Ernie DuPont of CVS Health (CVSH), at the semi-formal reception and dinner following the 2018 Annual SMART Symposium, on December 4th in Washington, D.C. Recipients of the awards were Gwenn Rausch, CEO Heartland Health Centers (HHC), medical provider partner for SMART sites in Chicago; and Javonte Barber, Utilization Manager at the Sullivan High School SMART Student Health and Wellness Center. Two of the honorees’ SMART colleagues in Alabama were also honored: Dr. Julia Boothe, Founder of Pickens County Primary Care, medical provider partner for SMART sites in rural Alabama, and Dr. Karl Hamner, Director of the Office of Evaluation of the University of Alabama College of Education. Each honoree has played a unique leadership role in ensuring the success of SMART Student Health and Wellness Centers in their regions. For each of these leaders, “success” is, in part, defined by each of their significant efforts that resulted in positively impacting the trajectories of children’s lives. SMART stands for School Health Model for Academics Reaching ALL Transforming Lives.

Three years after having established the SMART flagship site in Chicago, Heartland Health Centers was selected as the new medical provider partner, under the leadership of CEO Rausch. At that time, all of the existing SMART Clinic employees were transferred to HHC for a seamless transition that allowed for no disruption of care, continued improvements and care coordination for the students, as well as utilization growth.

“Under Gwenn’s visionary leadership, and the outstanding expertise of her Chief Medical Officer, Laurie Carrier, M.D., Medical Director, Jay Mayefsky, M.D., COO Letty Sargant, and School Health Director, Megan Erskine, her extraordinary working relationship with GGC has fueled the success and expansion of the Model to three other schools, with plans for more,” stated Ginn, President and CEO of GGC.

In note of Barber’s award, “Although Javonte was not a member of the original core team that worked with GGC to establish the flagship SMART Clinic, his infectious joy, deep commitment to students, and powerful organizational and leadership skills have made him an instrumental and beloved member of the SMART Transformation Team, and led to his promotion to a management role,” Ginn shared during the presentation of his award.

The “Reaching All, Transforming Lives” Award is in the shape of a blue crystal iceberg, which symbolizes SMART’s “Whole Child” approach to health care. SMART builds long-term relationships, through an Active Access approach, with the students and their families and school faculty and staff, to understand and address the often-unseen risks to their wellness that could lie beneath the surface, negatively impacting their academic and future success in life.

Jami Leveen, Aramark; Javonte Barber, Sullivan High School SMART Center; David Casey, CVS Heath; Gwenn Rausch, Heartland Health Centers; Ernie DuPont, CVS Health; Dr. Julia Boothe, Pickens County Primary Care, and Melanie Ginn, Ginn Group Collaborative, celebrate with the Chicago awardees.

“I hope these beautiful awards will serve as a wonderful reminder to these individuals of their continued strength as leaders that recognized the possibilities, continue to help us challenge the status quo, and thus bring “Whole Child” care to so many more students whose lives have truly been transformed,” said Ginn.

The gathering was a celebratory dinner topping off the day-long SMART Symposium, a meeting of disciplinary leaders from the education, healthcare, and private sectors interacting in order to highlight the leadership and culture required to sustain this transformative solution that is delivering dramatic outcomes for entire school populations in both urban and rural flagship sites, from grades pre-kindergarten–12. The annual event was co-hosted by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, SMART’s multi-cultural advisor, and GGC, and sponsored by CVSH and Aramark. In attendance were key members of CVSH’s Workforce Development, David Casey, Vice President, Workforce Strategies and Chief Diversity Officer and Ernie DuPont, Senior Director of Workforce Initiatives, as well as Jami Leveen, Director, Communications and Strategic Partnerships at Aramark. The following day, all the SMART Award Recipients and attendees were welcomed at a Congressional Briefing at the Dirksen Senate Building, which included greetings from Senator Orrin Hatch’s (R-UT) office, address praising their efforts by Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL), and a white paper presentation on the leadership and culture that has created the success of the Model, by Dr. Liza Cariaga- Lo of Brown University.

SMART is a school health solution dedicated to improving academic achievement in order to break the cycle of poverty, creating a new, antecedent component on the health care continuum. The award-winning public-private partnership that fuels the SMART Student Health and Wellness Model is revolutionizing health care in public schools. This best practice Model is being successfully operated in selected urban and rural regions, including Chicago and rural Alabama, with plans to expand to other cities over the next 5 years. The flagship clinic was funded by Legacy Sponsor, CVSH, whose support continues to this day, now joined by Aramark with a 5-year commitment to sustain and expand the Model.

SMART was developed in Chicago in 2013, and the flagship SMART Center at Sullivan High School has now entered its sixth year of operation. There, the Model has a tremendous track record of routinely consenting an average of 98% of the student population and providing care for 100% of those students, thus significantly increasing attendance by 3-4%, and improving the school’s academic metrics and rating, all at lower operational costs than traditional models. Active Care, a key component of the SMART Model, is deployed via Active Access, a dramatically changed capacity for impact, routinely reaching 95–98% of students, without increasing net costs. Sullivan Principal Chad Adams credits the SMART Model with influencing the culture of his school, “As I reflect on the turmoil I encountered while working to turn around a failing school, I now realize that having the SMART Clinic was the primary differentiator for us in that process,” he said.

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About Ginn Group Collaborative
Ginn Group Collaborative (GGC), led by President and CEO Melanie Ginn, is a nationally recognized design management firm with a proven track record in delivering exceptional outcomes and incisive analysis for clients. GGC brings objective and insightful perspective and expertise to review, research, develop, and deliver advanced business and legal analysis, strategies, and solutions. Learn more at www.ginngroupconsulting.com.

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 9, 2018
CONTACT: Angela Elles, angela@ginngroupconsulting.com

Gates Millennium Scholar and Hispanic Heritage Foundation LOFT Institute Member, Juan Pablo Sanchez, New Manager of SMART™ Business Development
Sanchez Joins Ginn Group Collaborative to Support SMART™ Student Health and Wellness Replication 

(Tampa, Florida), Oct. 9, 2018 – Melanie Ginn, CEO of Ginn Group Collaborative (GGC) is pleased to announce that Juan Pablo Sanchez, a public health professional and Gates Foundation Millennium Scholar, is joining the team as the Manager of Business Development for the firm’s SMART™ Student Health and Wellness Model. Through his role with SMART™, Sanchez is responsible for ensuring successful implementation of SMART™ model start-up operations, training, and quality oversight of the regional expansion sites, replication clinics, and operating agencies. He will serve as a key liaison for GGC’s internal, inter-disciplinary team of business, clinical, technical, marketing experts and peer mentors, and their collaborations with local stakeholder groups, including educators, medical provider partners and new SMART™ Team cohorts.

Sanchez’s insights, expertise and passion for improving population health outcomes will well serve GGC’s current focus to codify, expand and sustain the nationally recognized SMART™ model and its highly successful SMART™ Student Health and Wellness Center flagships in Chicago and rural Alabama.

“As we ever seek to increase the reach of SMART™ to improve the academic, and thus workforce success, of more at-risk children, Juan Pablo’s powerful dedication to the connections between health and education, and our proactive population health approach, will be an amazing asset to our work” said Ginn, GGC CEO and architect of the SMART™ Model.

In addition to his role with GGC and SMART™, Sanchez serves as a campus-based leader for the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, is a member of the USF Health Executive Board and is Director of Communications for the University of South Florida Public Health Student Association Executive Board. He was a 3-time volunteer for the Hispanic Heritage Awards, and was a Senator for the College of Public Health at the University of South Florida Student Government. Furthermore, Sanchez has had the opportunity to participate in an education abroad opportunity where he analyzed the health and education systems in over 20 countries through Semester at Sea and hopes to use this experience to bring creative and holistic ideas to the SMART™ Model. His experience as a Congressional Health Intern for Congresswoman Nanette Barragán in Washington, D.C. will also help develop policies that will assist in the replication of the SMART™ Model nationwide.

Sanchez became acquainted with Ginn through Antonio Tijerino at the 2017 Inaugural SMART™ Symposium and Congressional Briefing co-hosted by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, and sponsored by Legacy Funder, CVS Health.

SMART™, which stands for School Health Model for Academics Reaching All and Transforming Lives, is a solution dedicated to improving individual student and school academic outcomes by proactively delivering Active Access to physical and behavioral health care interventions within K–12 schools. It possesses a five-year track record of uniquely outstanding reach, results and impacts. Currently, there are SMART™ Centers in several schools in Chicago and rural Alabama, with plans to expand to other cities over the next 5 years, of which Sanchez will be a key coordinator with stakeholders and partners, as directed Ginn.

“I could not be more honored to be on such an elite team of professionals that have a profound interdisciplinary approach to solving our nation’s health and education gap by being driven by data, the latest evidence-based practices, and developing a universal approach with the SMART™ Model that can be replicated in any community. Also, it is a great privilege to be working directly for Melanie Ginn, the Architect of the SMART™ Model, because of her passion for making sure children around the country are healthy and enabled to succeed academically and beyond,” said Sanchez.

As the direct product of being granted access to education by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to break the cycle of poverty in my family, I have personal experience with the barriers that are removed and the impact that the SMART™ Model can have on communities across the country. For this reason, I am passionate about the opportunity to assist with the expansion of the SMART™ Model and being a part of transforming communities one child at a time. The individual stories about the impact that the SMART™ Clinics have had on students resonate with me deeply and make the work that we are doing that much more rewarding and inspiring.

SMART™ was developed in Chicago in 2013 and recently marked 5 years of successful operation at its flagship site. The flagship site has routinely reached 98% of the student population, increasing attendance by 3-4%, and improving the school’s academic metrics and rating, at lower operational costs than traditional models. The data collected from this nationally-recognized model has been shared in Washington, D.C. to members of Congress as a best practice innovation by Dr. Liza Cariaga-Lo, Vice President for Academic Development, Diversity and Inclusion at Brown University, (as a Formative Evaluation). Ginn recently presented the SMART model’s impressive metrics to The Republican Task Force on Hispanic Affairs, founded and led by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT).  The SMART™ model recently received a 5-year, multi-million-dollar grant from the Aramark Charitable Fund to support development of SMART™ Student Health and Wellness Centers in K–12 schools across the country.

Sanchez will also have a key role in the upcoming Second Annual SMART™ Congressional Briefing and Symposium in Washington, D.C. on December 4^th and 5^th, 2018 hosted by Ginn Group Collaborative and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and sponsored by CVS Health and Aramark.

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Ginn Group Collaborative (GGC), led by President and CEO Melanie Ginn, is a nationally recognized design management firm with a proven track record in delivering exceptional outcomes and incisive analysis for clients. GGC brings objective and insightful perspective and expertise to review, research, develop, and deliver advanced business and legal analysis, strategies, and solutions. Learn more at ginngroupconsulting.com.

Loyola University donates $25,000 to enable new Gale Academy health and wellness clinic to open this fall

Dear Neighbor,

Loyola University announced today it is donating $25,000 to support the construction of a SMART Health and Wellness Clinic at Gale Academy. Loyola’s Acting Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Margaret Faut Callahan, presented the check to Gale Academy Principal Augustine “Augie” Emuwa and me today at Loyola’s Water Tower Campus.

This generous one-time grant allows Gale to immediately begin construction of the clinic, which the school hopes to open in time for the beginning of the academic year in September.

I brought the health clinic initiative to the attention of Loyola’s administrators and requested a $25,000 grant from the university, which was the amount needed to start construction this summer. They generously agreed to my request.

I joined Principal Emuwa (second from left) in accepting on behalf of Gale Academy and the Rogers Park community Loyola’s $25,000 donation to the SMART clinic. Presenting the donation on behalf of the university was Provost and Chief Academic Officer Margaret Faut Callahan (second from right). Also representing Loyola were Vice President for Government Affairs Phil Hale (far right) and Director of Community Relations Summur Roberts (center).

This grant represents the largest one-time cash donation the university has ever provided and is reflective of Loyola’s continuing and growing commitment to Rogers Park’s schools. I am grateful for the university’s generosity. Heartland Health Centers will be the medical provider at the clinic, offering sustainable, academically-focused care, in fidelity to the SMART model. Ginn Group Collaborative CEO, Melanie Ginn, developed the SMART model in collaboration with CVS Health.

The SMART model adopts a holistic approach to school-based health care that understands the inextricable link between quality health care and academic performance. SMART health clinics are located in schools that serve
primarily low-income students. They deliver integrative, preventive and primary health care services and solutions-based behavioral health supports directly to the students, their families and the school faculty and staff. The principle underlying these clinics is that better mental and physical health leads to improved academic achievement and higher graduation rates, which are essential to breaking the cycle of poverty.

Two 49th Ward schools already are home to SMART Student Health and Wellness clinics–Sullivan High School and Kilmer Elementary School. As a direct result of these health clinics, not only do the students and their families receive needed health services, but both schools have seen dramatic and immediate increases in attendance rates and academic achievement, as well as reductions in disciplinary referrals.

Principal Emuwa witnessed firsthand the success of the SMART model when he was assistant principal at Sullivan. When he took over as principal at Gale last year, Principal Emuwa enlisted the help of Ms. Ginn, who in turn consulted with CVS Health. After they conducted their due diligence, CVS Health agreed to provide $150,000 in seed money with the condition that Principal Emuwa and the school raise $150,000 in matching funds to make the clinic fully operational. Principal Emuwa immediately asked his local school council, local elected officials and community residents to assist him in his efforts.

In true Rogers Park fashion, our community answered the call. State Senator Heather Steans and her husband, Leo Smith, kicked off the fundraising campaign with a generous $40,000 donation. Other donations large and small soon followed. Community residents organized a successful fundraiser and Gale parents gave what they could in increments of $10, $20 and $50, demonstrating the overwhelming community support for the proposed SMART Clinic.

State Senator Heather Steans

All told, our community raised over $100,000, an impressive amount, but still not enough to put the clinic over the finish line. The Loyola donation seals the deal and makes a health clinic at Gale a reality this year.

As the relationship with Gale Academy strengthens, Loyola plans to expand opportunities at Gale for Loyola’s students, including teacher preparation and nursing clinical experiences as well as other forms of engaged teaching and learning. Through its Plan 2020 initiative, Loyola already has established several collaborative projects with Gale, including working with Gale’s teachers to ensure that they are professionally trained to implement Illinois’ “Next Generation Science Standards.” Loyola’s donation helped begin construction of the clinic, but we are still short of our goal to enable the SMART model to be fully implemented. If you haven’t yet done so, I urge you to make a donation to help make the Gale SMART health clinic completely operational, so that all Gale’s students can take full advantage of its services.

To donate, click here.

Thanks for your support.
Sincerely,
Joe Moore

For Immediate Release: May 25, 2018
Contact: Lauren Revella, lauren@ginngroupconsulting.com

Architect of SMART™ Model for Student Health and Wellness Invited to U.S. Senate Republican Task Force on Hispanic Affairs
Melanie Ginn, CEO of Ginn Group Collaborative, presented the SMART™ Model and its unique 5-year record of success improving educational and health outcomes for public school students.

 (Washington, DC) The U.S. Senate Republican Task Force on Hispanic Affairs featured the SMART™ Model for Student Health and Wellness as its focus on the topic of Health for its May agenda. Melanie Ginn, architect of SMART™, presented to the Task Force as well as others on the agenda including Mr. Secretary Alex Acosta, U.S. Secretary of Labor, members of the Republican National Committee and other key leaders concerning Hispanic livelihood. SMART™, which includes the Hispanic Heritage Foundation serving as its multi-cultural advisor, was developed out of a private-public partnership between CVS Health, as funder and thought leader, Ginn Group Collaborative (the architects of the Model), local school districts, and partner medical providers.

The Task Force on Hispanic Affairs, founded and led by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), seeks to ensure the needs of the Hispanic community are considered in policy and legislative debates, as well as appointment and program concerns. Founding members also include Senator John McCain (R-AZ), and former Senator Bob Dole (R-KS).

Joining Ginn for her presentation was Jean Papagianis, principal of Joyce Kilmer Elementary School in Chicago and Roberto Callejas, Chief of Staff, Hispanic Heritage Foundation. Principal Papagianis testified to the remarkable impact the SMART™ Model has had for her school and her students. Over the past year, her school’s attendance has improved by three percentage points, a dramatic and unprecedented increase, which she attributes to having the health clinic as a crucial asset. Ginn and Papagianis also met with Senator Hatch’s office after the Task Force presentation to further discuss the SMART™ Model. That evening, Ginn had the opportunity to meet with Senator Hatch at a private reception hosted by the Hispanic Leadership Fund.

Ginn spoke to the committee about the culturally responsive SMART™ Model’s 5 years of success in improving the educational and health outcomes of entire public school student populations. SMART™ proactively addresses the educational and health needs of all students in the building, but is particularly impactful for special and at-risk populations that face unique barriers to success. Ginn Group’s research shows that Latinos are the largest and most rapidly growing ethnic minority in the U.S., and due to various acculturation challenges, reading readiness and proficiency suffer: only 42% Latino kindergartners are reading ready and by 4^th grade only 84% of Latino students show reading proficiency.

SMART™ engages Latino students and families by providing physical and behavioral interventions to support their educational success, closing the opportunity gaps they face, and ultimately offering them the best chance for a positive life trajectory, higher socio-economic status, and the benefits of good health as adults.

The quantifiable and substantive results of the Model’s success were officially presented to members of Congress last May in a formative evaluation white paper, The SMART Student Health and Wellness Approach: A Holistic Model for Achieving Health and Education Outcomes in Support of Diverse Communities by Brown University’s Dr. Liza Cariaga-Lo, Ph.D. Since then, the academic and health metrics have continued to improve as year 5 of the Model’s success numbers are just now becoming available.

At the Model’s flagship site, Sullivan High School in Chicago, The SMART™ center replaced an existing, failing school-based health clinic. Nearing the 5-year mark, the students that receive health care has jumped to over 90%, as opposed to the 15–20% usually seen by traditional models. Attendance has increased remarkably: more than 90% of students attend school regularly, with average absenteeism dropping from 36 days per year to 18 days per year, and disciplinary referrals also plummeted. Sullivan Principal, Chad Adams, has credited SMART™ with “helping to turn around a failing school; the SMART™ clinic was the primary differentiator for us in that process.”

Launched in 2013, the SMART™ Model distinguishes itself from traditional school-based health care in significant ways. First, it focuses on academic outcomes as its purpose and is completely integrated into the educational environment. SMART™ staff work closely with educators and school administration to ensure they support the goals and needs of the students, functioning as an integral part of the school community. Second, SMART™ deploys what it calls an “active access” strategy to deliver “active care”—employing social workers and psychologists alongside physicians, nurse practitioners, and administrators to continuously and proactively reach out to and build relationships with students. This “whole child” lens addresses not only the physical health, but also the mental health and emotional well-being of students.

The innovative SMART™ Model will again be presented at the Second Annual SMART™ Congressional Briefing and Symposium, hosted by CVS and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, in Washington, D.C. on December 4^th and 5^th, 2018.

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SMART™ is a school health solution focused on student academic achievement through active access in the delivery of preventive and integrative physical and behavioral health with the goal of ensuring the wellness of every student in an educational setting. SMART™ is built on the proven connections between health, education, and workforce opportunity; its creation celebrates the powerful alliance of public-private partnerships that fueled this innovation.