It Matters

Sometimes, a child’s greatest barrier to their success is within their own family. Dashamus, Desaiah, and Damaje Jackson have been friends of Healthy Learners ever since school leadership approached our team in 2017 with concerns that their family had limited resources to care for them.

Dashamus was struggling with behavioral health issues, Desaiah and Damaje needed oral health care, and all three children were struggling with school absenteeism. Dashamus had previously been diagnosed with ADHD, which was well-controlled when he was on medication. However, his mother also experienced mental health challenges and was not supportive of the medication, which resulted in lapsed prescriptions and continued difficulties with his focus and behavior in school. Dashamus told his school nurse he wanted the medication but couldn’t get it at home.

In a spirit of unwavering determination and collaboration, Healthy Learners stepped in and worked closely with the children’s mother to support their health. Despite the daunting challenges, we helped Desaiah and Damaje get the dental care they needed and corrected a discovered vision challenge for Damaje. This was a testament to the shared commitment and resilience of the Jackson family and Healthy Learners.

For Dashamus, Healthy Learners began delivering ADHD medication to his school nurse to be taken daily. Our team also addressed identified health problems surrounding his vision, oral health, and an infection affecting his foot.

Over the course of the past seven years, we’ve witnessed a profound and hopeful transformation in this family. Healthy Learners has provided 195 services to these three vulnerable children, each now stable and taking active care of their oral and behavioral health. They are now booked for regular checkup appointments facilitated by Healthy Learners.