Area educator honored for keeping school clinic open

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February 14, 2012

By Mark Boshnack Staff Writer The Daily Star Tue Feb 14, 2012, 02:30 AM EST

An area educator is being honored today for his work to provide a healthier future for his students.

The advocacy of Unadilla Valley Central School Superintendent Robert Mackey, which will result in the reopening later this month of the building's school-based health center, will be acknowledged at the state level, several of those familiar with the situation said Monday.

The center, which provided a range of health services at the school to participating students, closed in June after United Health Services withdrew its support for the program at Unadilla Valley and other schools in its coverage area. Unadilla Valley was at the greatest disadvantage because it did not have an RN on staff and there were no health care facilities nearby, Mackey said at the time the cuts were announced.

Thanks to his advocacy, the Bassett Healthcare Network, which runs its own system of school-based health centers, looked into the situation and will reopen the facility later this month, an official there said Monday.

The award will be presented by the state Coalition for School-Based Health Centers, at its Coalition Advocacy Day. It will take place at Empire State Plaza.

"I'm honored to get the award," said Mackey. He was pleased the students will once again have access to the service. "I'm very excited we will be opening the doors again. That's really what this is all about."

About 97 percent of the school's approximately 900 students use the service. The use has expanded since it began in 1995.

Its return is "a community effort" the shows that "advocacy is an important tool to make our lives better," Mackey said. It involved parents and community members contacting anyone that could help. Eventually Mackey received a call from Bassett that led to the arrangement.

Bassett's School-Based Health Centers manager, Jane Hamilton, said Mackey deserves the award. She was looking forward to being at today's ceremony, she said.

"He was an incredible advocate for those kids," she said, who turned over "every rock possible," to see the service return.

"The squeaky wheel gets the grease," she said. "He's the main reason this is happening."

Jane Lima-Negron is executive director for agency presenting the award. The advocacy he displayed could help others understand the benefits to their community, she said.