MAGAZINE – In a span of only 15 years, Magazine’s Wellness Center has grown from a wish of a few school and community leaders to a fledgling rural health clinic to today being recognized as a premier example of a high-quality, school-based healthcare center.
Creating, sustaining and growing the Wellness Center into what it is today has taken a lot of work by several individuals. None more so than Donna Robinson, a woman with passion and love for the Magazine community, its school and its students and a driving spirit to see each of those have access to quality healthcare and health-related programs.
A Magazine graduate and a former teacher and coach in the school district, Robinson has spent the latter part of her professional career as the Wellness Center Coordinator, and her work and dedication were recently recognized by the School-Based Health Alliance of Arkansas, which awarded her its prestigious Mary Miller Spirit of Excellence Award on Wednesday (April 5) during the final day of the group’s Rise Up: Cultivating School-Based Healthcare Conference in Hot Springs.
The award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated a strong commitment to making an impact in the school-based healthcare field. Such individuals are leaders who inspire others to “do it for the kids”. They are innovative, collaborative and dedicated advocates who bring comprehensive quality healthcare services to schools.
The SBHAA created the award last year to honor and recognize the contributions made to the health and wellness field by Mary Miller, who retired from Springdale High School last year.
“I am very humbled to receive this award,” Robinson said. “Filling Mary’s shoes is impossible, but getting this recognition is an honor for me and our Wellness Center team. We have worked for 13 years to make health services available for our students, staff and community, and we feel like we have changed the culture for our students to grow up getting their health, vision, dental and mental health needs met right here on our campus. Our efforts are allowing our students to develop the health literacy that they need to make good decisions about their health which will lead to healthier lifestyle choices.”
Nominees must have demonstrated the development and sustainability of impactful partnerships with the school-based health field and hold a position in education, healthcare, public health or another related sector that collaborates with school-based healthcare.
Robinson was one of six nominees from across the state and one of two from Magazine – Magazine SBHC/Mercy APRN Julie Greek, Pea Ridge School District Student and Family Support Specialist Laura Jones, Southside School District SBHC Coordinator Kristie Jenkins, Arisa Health Program Coordinator for Springdale School-Based Program Erin Goodwin and Little Rock School District Chicot SBHC Manager Jaime Combs.
One person who nominated Robinson described her as “dedicated, compassionate, non-judgmental and humble. She is the kind of person that makes us all want to be a better person.”
Another said that she “has a heart of gold. She is a pillar in her community and is the face of all things school health. Donna’s passion for healthy students inside and outside the classroom is evident in her commitment to her job and family. She goes out of her way to mentor a new School-Based Health Center coordinator. She inspires others to be mindful of their self-care and encourages others to take care of their needs in order to better serve students.”
One other said, “With a passion for teaching and wellness, Donna has been at the forefront of her SBHC success. She continues to tirelessly pursue opportunities for her school and community to receive care while trying to eliminate any barriers. Donna’s dedication to this project has impacted and will continue to impact current and future generations for years to come.”
Robinson has been a vital part of the Magazine School District for 38 years, serving first as a coach and teacher before transitioning into the role of Wellness Center Coordinator 13 years ago. The first three years, Robinson said she was a part-time coordinator while still teaching some health and physical education classes, but as the center began to grow, she became a full-time coordinator.
“Donna Robinson is a vital part of our family at Magazine School District,” Magazine Schools Superintendent Dr. Beth Shumate said. “She has a huge heart not just for the health of our students but for the community as a whole. We are so excited that others recognize what a gem we have in Magazine.”
Robinson is very passionate about her role as Wellness Center Coordinator. Her main goal, she said, is getting health services for Magazine students, staff and community members.
“I coordinate all the providers yearly to set up MOUs (memorandums of understanding) and work out schedules to get our students seen. We have been blessed with the best providers in the state,” said Robinson, who also is the Coordinated School Health Coordinator and the District Wellness Chair.
In her quest to provide Magazine’s students and community members with the best health services possible, Robinson spends lots of time researching, writing and applying for various grants that provide services and/or funding for Wellness Center programs or health and fitness programs and activities for students.
“I write grants yearly to keep us sustainable in our operations and to provide our students with more services. We have been under several different grants with CDC (Center for Disease Control) and our State Coordinated School Health Program, UAMS Medical Center, AWARE State funds, Blue and You Grants and many other smaller grants,” Robinson explained.
“We have been able to provide telehealth services, replace playground equipment, develop policies that assure our students have longer recess times, implement a water-only policy and tooth brushing programs, banned energy drinks and received grants for our backpack feeding program and many other initiatives that our community partners have been able to bring in for our students to benefit from. Our surrounding community partners have been so supportive of our efforts and make sure we have the resources we need.”
Robinson said she could “talk for days” about the history of the Wellness Center, which is the product of the planning and brainstorming of the ground-breaking Wellness Center Team made up of Robinson, Sandra Beck, Leona Cleveland and Renia Fairbanks some 15 years ago.
“It took two full years of planning and grant writing to achieve getting the first $550 thousand start-up grant from the State Tobacco Excise Monies. Our main goal was to offer services to students, staff and community that we did not have readily available and to change the culture of our community and students to one that grew up knowing the importance of regular preventive care,” Robinson recalled.
Robinson said the team was “blessed with providers that dove in head first and were out-of-the-box thinkers to make our Wellness Center work.” Initially, the Wellness Center was open two days a week for healthcare providers, but within two years, the schedule expanded to five days a week. Mental health, vision and full dental services were also added.
“Our dental and vision needs were so great when we first started,” Robinson said. “Parents aren’t able to take off work to get their children to routine dental and vision care or, for that matter, health or mental health services. Our SBHC allows parents to stay at work, and we are able to save hours upon hours of seat time for our students because there is no waiting. Parents are welcome to come to any appointment, but they are not required to. Our providers work closely with our parents to keep them up to date on what has gone on during their child’s appointments.”
The impact of having an on-campus Wellness Center for students and the community is immeasurable, Robinson said, and the Wellness Center has opened up much more access to healthcare services for the community’s elderly and parents.
“Many times transportation is an issue. Having our Wellness Center in our school has allowed many of our community members to have much more access than they have ever had available,” Robinson said. “Increasing our services for our students has encouraged our parents to pay more attention to their health and be proactive about getting routine and acute care needs taken care of.”
Robinson said she and her team and the School District Wellness Committee continue to strive to make even more health services available for students, staff and community and that she’ll continue to seek out grants and funding that will make the Wellness Center more sustainable and able offer more health literacy opportunities for the school district and the community.
“The support that our administration has added throughout the whole adventure has been amazing. None of these efforts can happen without the support and resources that our administration has always offered,” Robinson said. “They have always put our students first and try to do what is best for kids.”