Physician Consultation to School District Contracts Program

WELCOME TO THE PHYSICIAN CONSULTATION TO SCHOOL DISTRICT CONTRACT PROGRAM

The UC San Diego Center for Community Health operates a medical consultation service to school districts, charter schools, private schools, child care preschools, and county departments of education. We have provided this service for over 32 years and now assist more than two dozen school districts every year.

Howard Taras, MD is the lead consulting physician for this program. Consultation rates are established on an hourly basis by UCSD Department of Pediatrics. Because school districts only pay for those hours used, this service is affordable by even the smallest educational operations who require only brief consultations.

WHAT WE DO

Consultation involves any one or more of the following services: 

• Assist in development of school or district health programs.
• Develop, review, revise and interpret district’s health and safety policies.
• Provide continuing education on pertinent health topics (e.g., in-services, telephone consultation) to school staff.
• Consult on health education curricula and programs (e.g., curricula committees.)
• Form and maintain linkages between schools and community physicians, clinics, and agencies.
• Assist district with health-oriented grant applications.
• Advocate (e.g., to public, legislature) on behalf of schools and districts.
• Communicate with students’ own physicians on behalf of school when there are school medical issues to contend with.
• Consistent availability (“on-call”) to school nurses and school administrators.
• Help to inform and update community medical colleagues, such as primary care providers, physician specialists, hospitals, health plans, (through written articles, grand rounds, newsletters, local medical societies) about:
  • School health policies
  • School health needs
  • School health environment
• Attend selective student-specific meetings (IEP, 504, Student Attendance Review) when health issues are complex, contentious, or when placement or range of required school health services are difficult to assess.
• Help to medically qualify school district for LEA-Medicaid billing.
• At request of district, evaluate and assess school health programs.

OUR VISION

Our vision is to optimize student attendance, achievement, and behavior. We want to ensure healthy and safe environments for students, to help school districts integrate children with special needs, without excessive expense to school district, with maximum safety for child, and in compliance with state and federal laws. We aim to maximize community health resources available to schools, and help school districts and school sites manage health problems which interfere with education.

PHYSICIAN CONSULTATION TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS CONTRACTS

Between 2010 to Present

San Diego  & Imperial Counties

Orange County

Los Angeles County

Ventura County

Oxnard School District

San Bernadino County

Riverside County

Northern California

Howard Taras, Md

[email protected]