25 Nov 2003
Facility Will Provide Physical and Mental Health Services for South Dallas Students and Families
DALLAS– South Dallas Youth & Family Center, the newest facility of the partnership between the Dallas Independent School District and Parkland Health & Hospital System, will hold a grand opening reception at 1 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4.
Superintendent Mike Moses and District 9 Trustee Ron Price will join Leonor Marquez of Parkland Health & Hospital System to help celebrate the center's opening. Located at 5000 S. Malcolm X Blvd., the South Dallas Youth & Family Center is the ninth center within the program.
The center will provide physical and mental health services for students and families from 18 area schools. Prior to this, students and families residing in the South Dallas area were served by the Woodrow/ Long Youth & Family Center in East Dallas.
The partnership between the Parkland organization and DISD has been in place for more than 30 years beginning with the initial West Dallas clinic. Jenni Jennings, executive director–DISD Youth & Family Centers, said the new facility at Lincoln Instructional Center demonstrates an on-going commitment to this partnership as a way of improving the overall health of the community. The central mission of the program is to provide early intervention mental health services and primary care services to children.
"The academic success of students depends on their physical and mental health," Jennings said. "Children and families enrolled in our school-based program have improved health and educational outcomes."
The district has sponsored a state and national award-winning school-based health program for more than three decades. Most recently the DISD Youth & Family Centers received a commendation for exemplary programs and practices in the Texas School Performance Review report by Carole Keeton Strayhorn, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. The 2002 report cited the centers for providing services that contribute to improved attendance, a reduction in dropouts and fewer discipline referrals. In July, the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health recognized the DISD Youth & Family Centers program as the only model program in the nation for children's mental health.
Some of the health services offered by the Youth & Family Centers include immunizations, sports physicals and screening of various health threats to help prevent and control diseases. Other services available to students and their families are parent training, group counseling, individual counseling, psychiatric consultation, family therapy and school interventions.
All nine centers are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Extended evening hours vary at each location.
Location of DISD Youth & Family Centers:
• Kiosco, 10034 Hedgeway (at Edward H. Cary Middle School)
• North Oak Cliff, 501 S. Edgefield Ave. (at W.E. Greiner Middle School)
• Red Bird, 3803 Boulder Dr. (at T.W. Browne Middle School)
• Seagoville, 15920 Seagoville Rd. (at Seagoville Middle School)
• South Dallas, 5000 S. Malcolm X Blvd. (near Lincoln High School)
• Spruce, 9716 Grady Ln. (at H. Grady Spruce High School)
• West Dallas, 3131 N. Hampton Rd. (at L.G. Pinkston High School)
• White Rock, 9941 Lingo Ln. (at Bryan Adams High School)
•Woodrow/Long, 6006 Reiger Ave. (at Woodrow Wilson High School)
For information, call (972) 502-1200.