BPS and health center partnership for children's vision care
Resident asks for a partnership between Boston Public Schools and health centers to provide eye exams and glasses, since many children fail screenings, wait months for exams, and lack help navigating care.
English title and summary written with AI from the resident's text.
The resident's idea, as submitted
The idea
Develop and implement a BPS/Health Center partnership to address the multitude of unmet vision needs of the city’s children-25-30% of whom have a correctable diagnosis (often eyeglasses). Academic gain following vision care is well documented.
Who it helps and why
Black and Hispanic children more often have untreated vision problems that result in permanent vision loss Undiagnosed vision conditions can be mistaken for learning/behavioral problems 30-40% of BPS children fail school vision screening so need full eye exams Wait time for an eye exam in Boston is over six months There is no system to help families navigate vision care process-school screening, neighborhood eye exam and treatment
Details
- Cycle
- 2024–25
- Submitted
- August 9, 2024
- Neighborhood
- City-wide
- Portal category
- Education, Youth & Families
- How it was submitted
- Individual submission
- Submission language
- English
Themes grouped with AI from resident idea text.
The same need in other cycles
City-wide ideas in Health care access from the other cycles, up to 3 from each.
2026–27 (21 matching)
- Mini libraries with health resources at beaches and parksThe resident asks for mini library resource points at beaches and parks, like Carson Beach, offering Narcan, Covid tests and multilingual pamphlets on swim lessons and heat safety.2026–27City-wide
- Community registry of AED locationsThe resident asks for an accessible registry of defibrillator locations, working with hospitals and apps, so bystanders can respond to cardiac arrests, especially in vulnerable neighborhoods.2026–27City-wide
- Free medical supplies and more free clinicsProvide free medical supplies and add free health clinics so people who cannot afford care can get help.2026–27City-wide
2025–26 (22 matching)
- Easier access to health careResident asks for easier access to health care.2025–26City-wide
- Health insurance funds for low-income and immigrantsResident asks for money to help low-income people and immigrants pay for health insurance.2025–26City-wide
- City-run pharmacies in underserved neighborhoodsResident asks for city-run pharmacies, citing pharmacy closures in Black and brown communities that make affordable medicine and clinical help hard to reach.2025–26City-wide