Children's Wellness Center
In 1995 Susan Franzetti was the only registered school nurse in the Del Valle Independent School District (DVISD), a rural area on the outskirts of Austin, Texas. She was overwhelmed by the health needs of thousands of children in her district. She needed help.
The rural school district encompasses 174 square miles, with approximately 35,000 residents: 57% Mexican-American, 28% Anglo, and 12% African-American. It is a poor community with 58% of the children living in economically disadvantaged families. More than 75% of the elementary school children are eligible for the free or reduced-cost lunch program. The Travis County Health and Human Services Department supports one health clinic in the district, and pediatric services are limited. There are no private pediatric health care providers. The majority of the Del Valle clients are uninsured and unable to find affordable health care. When Susan Franzetti needed help providing adequate medical care for the students of Del Valle, she turned to the School of Nursing at The University of Texas at Austin. After a year-long assessment study, UT's School of Nursing collaborated with DVISD and created the Children's Wellness Center in April 1996 as a primary health care site for children ages 0-12 years in the district. As it has for more than 100 years, the UT School of Nursing responded to the health care needs of Texas schoolchildren. |