Price Charities collaborates with and provides funding for local non-profit agencies that provide health and human services to City Heights’ residents. Price Charities funding objectives include improving access to healthcare (particularly for kids attending City Heights schools) and supporting efforts to bring healthy food to the community.
Price Charities helped establish and continues to fund three school-based health centers that provide comprehensive preventive and primary health care services to students on campus.
The school-based health centers are partnerships between Price Charities, schools and community health organizations to provide on-site medical and mental health services that promote the health and educational success of school aged children and adolescence. Price Charities believes that school-based health centers play an important role in helping families manage the physical and mental health care needs of their children. We believe that the school is the logical place to provide care and referrals for our children. Students and families feel more comfortable seeking health care advice - especially mental health counseling - from people they know and trust.
Elaine Springer Health Center
The Elaine Springer Health Center, located on the campus of Central Elementary School, is the only school-based health center in the nation to house two independent community clinics allowing the center to keep its doors open until 5:00 p.m. weekdays, even when school is out of session. La Maestra Community Health Centers and Mid City Clinic each provide 20 hours of service per week.
The center supports the health and academic achievement of eastern San Diego's oldest school campus, with the highest poverty rate (99.8%) and highest percentage of English learners (85%) in the San Diego Unified School District.
The onsite location encourages families to seek preventive medical care in a trusted setting and allows students to miss fewer hours of educational instruction. The center also treats any siblings of Central students from birth to fifth grade.
The Elaine Springer Health Center opened in November 2010 through grants provided by the Price Family Charitable Fund and the cooperation of the San Diego Unified School District, La Maestra Community Health Centers and Mid City Clinic.
Rosa Parks Elementary School Health Center
The Rosa Parks Health Center is a partnership between Price Charities, Mid City Community Pediatric Clinic, and the San Diego Unified School District. The mission of the Rosa Parks Health Center is to promote health and wellness through quality health services, advocacy, and education in order to maximize student achievement and community wellness. Rosa Parks Health Center is a combined school health office and primary care clinic in partnership with the Mid City Pediatric Community Clinic.
The school health office registered nurse (RN) provides a variety of services including mandated vision and dental screenings, immunizations, first aid, and health education for school staff, children and families.
The primary care clinic employs a full time Nurse Practitioner that works in conjunction with Mid City Clinic to provide primary care to uninsured children and Mid City Community Clinic patients. Some of the services offered by the Nurse Practitioner are prescriptions and medication management, physical examinations, chronic illness management, sick visits and referrals to specialists when needed. A pediatrician is available at Rosa Parks one day a week for consultation.
Hoover High School Health Center
The Hoover Heath Center is a partnership between La Maestra Community Clinic, Scripps Mercy Hospital, Price Charities and the San Diego Unified School District on the campus of Hoover High School. The Hoover Health Center provides physical, mental and dental health services to students. A fulltime trilingual social worker (MSW) assesses students referred to the Health Center for mental and emotional health issues. Two fulltime bilingual front office staff provides administrative support for clinic operations. A physician is on campus one day a week for consultation. Through collaboration with Children's Hospital, Union of Pan Asian Communities, and the Center for Grief Care and Education, there is a licensed therapist at the Health Center every day. The dental clinic operates in collaboration with Comprehensive Health Centers.
For more information contact Dorothy Zirkle at (619) 795-2014 or dzirkle@pricecharities.org.
Parents Centers support parents in becoming successful partners in their children's education, provides social services for children and their families and serves as a community center for families. Price Charities funds parent centers at three schools.
Rosa Parks Parent Center
Staff includes social workers, social work interns from San Diego State University, community representatives from the Vietnamese Parent Association and the African American Parent Association, and parent volunteers. The Center seeks to support the school by offering services to children who are facing major challenges in their lives and by connecting families to a variety of social support services in the City Heights community.
Monroe Clark Middle and Hoover High Parent Centers
Parent centers at both schools provide a contact point for parents to help them and support their children's education and to provide social services. Staff includes a Center director, social workers and interns from San Diego State University. The Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) provides additional resources for building parent skills and capacity.
For further information contact Rosario Iannacone at riannacone@pricecharities.org.
The Dads’ Club focuses on developing and enhancing the father/child relationship through monthly activities at six City Heights schools.
Price Charities supports the program at Monroe Clark and Woodrow Wilson Middle Schools and Hamilton, Joyner, Rosa Parks and Central Elementary Schools.
Many studies have shown that parental interaction is one of the most vital factors in a child’s early development and reduces the likelihood of a child becoming involved in risky behaviors as he/she gets older. Dads especially can find it hard to find an entry point to become involved in their children’s lives, which is why the Dad’s Club provides a safe and enjoyable setting for Dad’s and their kids to spend time learning about the school, community and each other.
The program emphasizes helping dads model leadership skills and increasing their participation in the classroom and school activities.
For further information contact Ken Woods at kwoods@pricecharities.org.
The Price Community Builder Fellowship Program builds capacity in nonprofit organizations in City Heights while providing internship opportunities for San Diego State University Bachelor of Social Work graduates.
The program began in 2001 through the collaboration of Price Charities and Professor Michael Eichler, director of the Consensus Organizing Center at SDSU. Each year the program provides paid internships for five or six students who spend 11 months working at a nonprofit organization in City Heights. After successfully completing the internship, students may elect to pursue a master's degree in social work at SDSU and to receive a $5,000 scholarship.
The goals of the program are to:
- Build capacity in City Heights nonprofit organizations
- Educate social work students in nonprofit management
- Encourage students to obtain a master's degree in social work
For further information contact Ann Bossler at abossler@pricecharities.org.