Giving Children the Power of Sight Through Public/Private Collaborations & Partnerships

1. Giving Children the Power of Sight Through Public/Private Collaborations & Partnerships Track 2.5 Presented by: Judy Hicks Harris Stephen L. Williams, M.Ed., MPA, Director

2. Kids Vision Partnership • A collaboration with HDHHS and public and private partners to provide free eye exams and glasses to school aged children • Two programs • OneSight, a national program • See to Succeed, the local initiative

3. OneSight • A foundation of the Luxottica group • HDHHS/OneSight partnership started in 2007 • Provides free eye exams and glasses for 1-2 weeks in Houston (1500-2000 children per week)

4. The Need in the Houston Area 484,846 children screened in Harris and Fort Bend County schools in 2012-2013* 52,562 failed screening* 20,332 children with unresolved vision problems at end of school year* *Texas Department of State Health Services Annual Vision Screening Report 2012-2013 for Region 6 Public Schools

5. Why Address the Need Impaired vision affects ability of children to learn 80% of learning in a child’s first 12 years comes through the eyes 25% children in the U.S. have a vision problem, 20% need glasses Among juvenile offenders, 78% have a vision problem Prisons forecast beds need in 10 years based on 3rd grade reading levels

6. 90% of Children Who Need Glasses DON’T Have Them *According to theOptometric Clinical Practice Guideline. Pediatric Eye and Vision Examinations. St. Louis, MO. American Optometric Association 2nd edition, 2002

7. Meet Alexander • Alexander is 12 years old and attends a Houston area Charter school • He never had glasses before attending See to Succeed in 6th grade • Over the summer his glasses were stolen while he was swimming at his apartment pool. His parents were unable to replace the eye wear and he started 7th grade without his glasses • His school nurse arranged for him to come to See to Succeed again in January 2014 after noticing he did not have his glasses any longer • His grades suffered the first semester of 7th grade due to his not being able to see the board without straining

8. Alexander’s Vision Below is a simulation of Alexander’s non-corrected vision Corrected Right Eye Left Eye http://www.eye-sim.com/

9. BETTER VISION FOR KIDS FEWER SOCIETAL ISSUES Enormous Short- and Long-Term Impact INCREASED LITERACY & EDUCATION STRONGER WORKFORCE & ECONOMY

10. The Director’s Vision Create a locally supported initiative to expand service capacity Provide services at a volume to address level of need Provide free eye exams and glasses to 10,000 school aged children in need

11. Turning the Vision Into Reality Assemble resources to expand capacity Sell the vision and mission Build Relationships Provide infrastructure support

12. The Mission • Provide free eye exams and glasses to 10,000 children per school year • Replicate OneSight’s high volume service delivery model which • Maximizes the number of children served • Remove barriers to access to care

13. Build Relationships Kid’s Vision Strategic Partnerships Funding: Doctors, Optical Manager, Frames, Lenses, Pretest Manager & Students Free Lab Work (10,000 glasses per year) Specialized Personnel: Clinical Director, Optometrists, UH Staff & Students,, Equipment, Supplies HDHHS Stephen Williams ALF Margaret & Joel Shannon Berkley Eye Center San Jacinto College Essilor Vision Foundation HDHHS Stephen Williams NUF Walmart Center HDHHS Stephen Williams University of Houston

14. Build Relationships for a Purpose Funding: Doctors, Optical Manager, Frames, Lenses, Pretest Manager & Students HDHHS Stephen Williams ALF Margaret & Joel Shannon Berkley Eye Center San Jacinto College Essilor Vision Foundation Free Lab Work (10,000 glasses per year) Over 20,000 Glasses Delivered Since 2012 HDHHS Stephen Williams NUF Walmart Center Specialized Personnel: Clinical Director, Optometrists, UH Staff & Students,, Equipment, Supplies HDHHS Stephen Williams University of Houston

15. See to Succeed • Established Planning Team • Created “See to Succeed” • Conducted Pilot Project – • Spring 2011, • 422 children seen during the week

16. See to Succeed – How it Works

17. Organizing & Managing Resources • 80 percent of the project resources are donated from school districts, cities, government agencies, colleges and universities, non-profit organizations and businesses • $462,000 annual cash cost, $2.3 million in in-kind services and donated glasses

18. Organizing & Managing Resources • Executive sponsors collaborative • HDHHS Project Manager & Infrastructure Support • Interagency Operations planning team • Clinics managed with National Incident Management Structure

19. Results (6) one week See to Succeed clinics per school year and (1) one week OneSight clinic Service capacity expanded from 422 in Spring 2011 in one week to 2000 per week in 2014 9803 children examined in 2013-2014 37,593 children examined and 26,665 received glasses since 2007

20. Results Improved performance on state academic assessments * Improved attendance rates* Prevention of serious eye problems * http://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/TX01001591/Centricity/Domain/8269/2011_2012%20One%20Sight%20Evaluation.pdf

21. Success – Critical Factors Partnerships with established foundations such as OneSight Support from HDHHS Multiple funding and volunteer sources

22. Success – Critical Factors College and University partnerships—significant volume of work by students Business partners that donate staff, equipment, glasses and other supplies Commitment from local school districts

23. Lessons Learned Set a vision that can be shared Be clear about the mission Sell the mission rather than requesting resources Identify partners who share the vision and commit to the mission

24. Lessons Learned Allow partners to determine where they best fit Provide support from a lead agency to provide continuity and ongoing coordination Be flexible and continuously improve the process Recognize and value the work of each partners

25. The Kids Vision for Life Houston Area Coalition Consists of organizations who are committed to providing vision services for children Created strategic plan for the Houston area Vision: Eye care for every child Mission: To provide children in need with the power of sight for lifelong achievement

26. ChangingLives

27. ChangingLives

29. For More Information Contact Judy Hicks Harris, M.B.A. Judy.Harris@houstontx.gov (832) 393-4345 Corrie Rae Corrie.Rae@houstontx.gov (832) 393-5058 http://www.houstontx.gov/health/KidsVision/index.html http://houstonhealthfoundation.org