NORTHEAST, Ohio (WOIO) – Single mom of four Ericka Talley is just like many parents who sometimes face challenges just trying to raise their children.

But, the Warren mom had a recent health challenge that made everyday life even tougher.

”Overwhelmed, tired. Took out all of my hair, turned my skin dark and my skin and my nails and my feet made me very weak. Had sores in my mouth and my nose. I went through a lot of transactions,” explained Talley.

Ericka was diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer more than a year ago. She underwent six months of chemo.  

“I couldn’t drive, I couldn’t do anything,” said Talley.

Talley’s daughter Jahniya wanted to get a job to help out with the bills, but, in order to do that she needed a work permit and a physical.

With her mom’s illness, she knew she couldn’t take her or her three other siblings to their pediatrician.

Jahniya knew there was a solution to the problem, her school could help out.  

“She brought home a paper. She said we have a nurse,” expressed Talley.  

Nurse Practitioner Allison Lantz oversees Akron Children’s Hospitals School based health center in Warren City Schools.

The district contracts the services with the hospital.

The program is in 14 school districts and more than 100 school buildings across Northern Ohio.

Allison and RN’s are employed the by the hospital.

”We’re able to see kids for well visits, sports physicals, you know, work permits, all those teenage things as well as sick visits, you know, kindergarteners who needed vaccines and weren’t able to to get in with their primary care provider,” said Lantz.

“Allison was able to do Jahniya’s physical for her work permit. She was able to get her job, and she’s been working that job ever since,” said Talley.

Allison was able to provide screenings and physicals for all of Ericka’s children, but when she was looking over Ericka’s youngest son Jonathan’s health history, something didn’t seem right. 

“I was having pain in my lower back, my upper back. I was having bad migraines,” expressed Jonathan Carnathan.

“This lab work looks to me like sickle cell disease, and so within 10 minutes I was able to call mom back and say the hematologist really does believe that this is sickle cell,” explained Lantz.

Allison was also able to communicate with her medical assistant with their school telehealth system.

The assistant goes to other campuses, sometimes seeing more than a dozen students a day.

Via computer, the two can exchange important medical information. 

Lorain City Schools started the school year with more than 1000 students who didn’t have their mandatory vaccines.

Without their shots, per state law those students could possibly be forced to stay home. 

The districts six-year-long health care partnership with Mercy Health Hospital ended, so officials needed to come up with a fast solution to their health care problem.  

“It’s very critical because one student can get a staff member or a student that is immune-compromised they could get them sick and that could cause a very big medical situation in one school building,” said Stephanie Alexander-Johnson with Lorain City Schools.

QuickMed Urgent Care is now operating the in-school health clinic. A mobile health bus makes it easier for students and staff and people in the community to hop on board and get vaccines, shots, and other medical needs.

A federal grant will pick up the tab.  

“I really strongly believe that this is going to be the new healthcare model, not just in Ohio. Not just in the cities that we’re operating in, but, I think this is going to be the new healthcare system nationwide after a point because it’s really providing access to kids who wouldn’t otherwise have it,” expressed Amber Bodrick with QuickMed.  

Lorain City Schools teacher Cynthia Fuller says the full service clinic is a big health and time saver. 

“I appreciate the program a lot because last year i couldn’t get a shot because I can never find the time as a teacher to get a shot or a place that would give me a shot. This should hopefully protect me and help me not get any of the kids sick in class,” said Fuller.

MetroHealth Medical Center, University Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic all providing primary care and behavior health services for Cleveland Metropolitan Schools.

Bernetta Wiggins is the executive director of integrated health for CMSD.

The district has a nurse at each of their 84 buildings providing services that include immunization clinics, physicals, speech therapists and more.

But officials saw an increased need for an all encompassing “primary” health care program.

So this fall, with the help of Ohio Department of Education funding and MetroHealth, they’re setting up a new school based community health system.

There will be a clinic at Glenville, Clara Westropp and Mound Elementary School.

So now CMSD students and their families who are within a 2 mile radius can be transported to one of those three clinics and get primary health, dental, vision, behavior and physical services in house or via telehealth.     

“It’s their cure for the children. It’s their care for the community, and they’re showing up and they’re providing the services for us. We are so grateful and thankful that we can come together and integrate and provide these services free of charge,” expressed Wiggins. 

Ericka Talley says knowing her children’s education and healthcare needs are taken care of is a blessing.

She says she’s grateful that she’s now cancer free and able to focus on her continued recovery and raising her kids.

“I’m grateful for them bringing this program to the school. Not have to worry about did Joshua get his insulin or their physicals. I was able to focus on my care, my doctor’s appointments, my chemo treatments,” said Talley.

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