10 Questions About the SLUSD Health Center

Not to sweep the confetti away too soon, but I have a few questions for the SLUSD about the new health center that's being put up on our dime. In the spirit of being open and honest, I want to know:

1) Who Pays if Someone is Treated Incorrectly at the Center?

If Timmy goes to the center and gets the wrong advice/pills/etc. from the person treating him, who will be footing the bill when mommy and daddy come to sue? If it's being operated by the SLUSD, I'm thinking us.

2) Who Are the Volunteers?

When I went to the city council meeting when this was just a proposal, I heard mention of retirees offering to come and help staff the facility. Are the people who will provide direct treatment be registered, up-to-date-allowed-to-practice volunteers or I-was-an-RN-30-years-ago volunteers? (This ties into liability a bit, as asked above). Typically, volunteers offering clinical services are required to have specialized training and/or professional licensing.

3) What Happens If/When the Money Runs Out?

Superintendent Cathy claims that this entire operation is self-sufficient, funded by private donations and various grants. If the day comes that these resources dry up, who's paying to keep it open? Sorry, we're being honest, I forgot-will San Leandro tax payers be given the option to say "no, we won't foot the bill" and force the district to close it, instead?

4) Is This Planned Parenthood Masquerading as a Band-Aid Factory?

Will this district-run facility be providing any form of birth control? If so, to what extent will parents have a say in this? Conventional medical facilities generally have some leniency in this area, but the waters are certainly being muddied when you involve a school district.

5) Who's Getting In?

What guarantee do we have that this facility's resources will be limited to minor children enrolled in SLUSD schools and no one else? Will there be any sort of restrictions made to prevent those whose parents do provide health care from receiving treatment?

6) How Much Treatment is Being Offered?

Obviously no open-heart surgery, but what can a San Leandro parent expect from the center? Will the amenities be in line with what a school nurse used to provide? If yes, why not just hire the nurses back?

7) I Thought We Just Passed Measure L?

I ask this, because if we're now footing the bill for Measure L on top of 30, M, and B, and the district is now taking on this loan from the city, that means we will now be spending money on this, as well. (Don't forget, the district is paying that bill back with the money they get from us, the tax payer).

8) Isn't This Redundant?

The Bay Area is home to some of the best and most abundant sources of free medical aid in the entire country. If free medical care is already being offered from numerous outside sources, why is the district's facility even necessary?

9) How Will We/Can We Afford to Insure HIPPA Compliance?

Keeping a medical facility, no matter how limited, up to date and code is not in the same league as maintaining a basketball court. Is the budget, as outlined by Cathy, going to be able to sustain these requirements?

10) What Rights do the Parents Have?

Do the students need to get a "permission slip", so to speak, if their child is going to use this facility? Generally, minors have to get consent to receive any sort of medical treatment, save for the occasional venereal disease (seriously).

Sorry if all/some of this got answered at the city counsil meeting, but so far I have yet to find any sort of literature on this topic on the district site or on the Patch. Apologies if the info is out there, and if it is, it's not easy to find.

Awaiting the district's reply...