The Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF), CVS Health and Ginn Consulting will host the SMART™ Congressional Symposium to members of Congress, health care professionals, educators and community leaders in DC on May 18th.

The SMART™ Symposium will discuss how the SMART™ Student Health and Wellness model has revolutionized school-based health care for public school students. To ensure wellness of every student in the school building, SMART™ Clinics employ social workers, nurses, physicians, administrators and other staff that work closely with educators to meet the unique needs of disadvantaged students and remove stigma and barriers to foster a culture of self-care. SMART™ was born out of an innovative public-private partnership with CVS Healthcare, Ginn Group Consulting, Chicago Public Schools and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation.

Tomorrow’s event will share case studies from sites in urban Chicago, to rural cities in Alabama. The SMART™ model will be expanded into Greater Washington, D.C., through a partnership with Mary’s Center, and in Philadelphia over the next year. Dr. Liza Cariaga-Lo, Vice-President, Brown University, will present an evaluation white paper and facilitating discussions with stakeholders on how to expand SMART™ to the communities they serve.

We will be joined by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL); Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL); David Casey, Vice President, Workforce Strategies and Chief Diversity Officer, CVS Health; Ernest DuPont, Senior Director, Workforce Initiatives, CVS Health; Dr. Liza Cariaga-Lo, Vice President for Academic Development, Diversity, and Evaluation, Brown University; Melanie Shaw Ginn, President and CEO, Ginn Group Consulting; and Dr. Peter Hlebowitsh, Dean, College of Education, University of Alabama.

SMART™ is a school health solution focused on student academic achievement through active access in the delivery of preventive and integrative physical and behavioral health with the goal of ensuring the wellness of every student in an educational setting. SMART™ is built on the proven connections between health, education, and workforce opportunity; its creation celebrates the powerful alliance of public-private partnerships that fueled this innovation.

Stay tuned to learn more about student experiences in the week to come!