Trustee B. Teri Burns was a key cog in Natomas Unified’s Board when the District was formed in 1992, but the health clinic bearing her name did not exist until 23 years later, fulfilling her dream of supporting student success in a new and different way.
Looking back as NUSD nears its Silver Anniversary, the B. Teri Burns Health Clinic is one of many key ways the District has expanded services through the years. Burns is a longtime supporter of helping kids who lack health care, but it wasn’t her idea to name the clinic after her — a District School Names Committee made that recommendation years ago and the Board of Trustees approved it, 4-0, with Burns abstaining.
“We all know that healthy kids learn better,” Burns said when the clinic opened in February 2015 in an isolated classroom near Natomas High School’s tennis courts to serve students throughout NUSD.
Fast forward 15 months and the clinic is open every weekday now, two or three hours per day, offering a full range of state-required vaccinations at no charge through a nonprofit organization, Vaccines for Children, which serves students who are uninsured, underinsured, American Indians or Alaska natives.
California’s immunization mandates are designed to fight against the spread of diseases ranging from polio to mumps, measles or chickenpox. A list of state-required vaccinations is available here.
District Nurse Kathy Phillips, who mans the B. Teri Burns Health Clinic, said she has administered more than 200 vaccinations at the facility. She also can provide hearing and vision screening.
For NUSD staff, flu shots were offered last winter and the clinic has helped meet a state mandate by providing more than 180 Tuberculosis clearances to employees not at-risk of contracting the disease.
Inside the clinic is a small children’s play area, two private exam rooms, and space for Phillips to prepare vaccinations.
The clinic also has been used by NUSD for free family workshops tackling a wide range of issues, including Family Communication, Managing Personal Finances, Managing Stress, Nutrition, Walking for Health and Longevity, Time Management, Successful Single Parenting, and Staying Healthy During Flu Season.
The name of NUSD’s health clinic stems from actions taken in 2006, when the District’s School Names Committee recommended that if NUSD created a future clinic it be named the “B. Teri Burns Health Clinic.” The Board of Trustees approved that recommendation, 4-0, with Burns abstaining.
Over time, NUSD officials hope to expand both the clinic’s hours of operation and the services it provides. They envision it potentially providing services ranging from physical checkups to treating illnesses.
Phillips agrees with Burns that there is a solid link between how students feel and how they perform academically. Children in pain often find it hard to sit still and concentrate on classwork, she said.
“You know yourself, when you’re not feeling good, even to sit and read a book sometimes is difficult,” Phillips said.
For information about the clinic’s hours of operation, contact Tracy Cobb at 567-5434 or email her at [email protected].
(Note: This story is one in a series of stories spotlighting NUSD changes to support student success since the District’s creation nearly 25 years ago.)
