Valley City Public Schools, Essentia Health and Medica celebrate partnership

In partnership with Essentia Health and Medica, Valley City Public Schools (VCPS) is excited to start the new school year with additional offerings dedicated to the health and well-being of our students.

For the first time, VCPS will offer a virtual visit access point at Valley City High School, making health care readily available for students who will be able to connect with a provider virtually, in a setting that reduces barriers to care, such as travel time.

"As a leader in rural health care, Essentia understands the challenges presented in our rural communities including access to the right level of care at the right time and as close to home as possible," said Dr. Tanya Diegel, division chair of primary care at Essentia. "We are privileged to be part of the Valley City community and to collaborate with the school district to find innovative ways to best meet the health care needs of our local students."

VCPS and Essentia entered into an extended partnership in 2018 to further expand health and wellness services and education to the community. Medica and Essentia work together to provide coordinated care to North Dakotans through an accountable care organization. In February 2024, VCPS received a $50,000 community grant from Medica.

The purpose of the grant was to provide resources to a rural school district in North Dakota to help improve student health by raising awareness and access to behavioral health services.

According to the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, in 2023, 48.7% of North Dakota residents lived in rural areas, compared to 13.9% nationwide.

"Medica is pleased to provide funding for this unique and important project," said Andrew Marshall, Medica market president for Minnesota and North Dakota. "We have a long history of working with North Dakotans and school districts and understand the health care challenges faced by schools and rural areas."

In coordination with Essentia and Medica, VCPS focused implementation of the grant on four key areas:

• Increasing awareness of behavioral health.
• Providing behavioral health professional development for educators.
• Hosting a back-to-school wellness fair.
• Implementing a virtual visit access point at Valley City High School.

On Tuesday, Aug. 13, officials from VCPS, Essentia and Medica, joined by community members, toured the virtual visit access point. This new system, using the latest technology, will make health care more accessible and decrease the time students, guardians and staff spend traveling to medical appointments. This clinic will be available for students in grades 7-12 starting Wednesday, Aug. 21.

Accordingly, VCPS also hosted a community back-to-school Wellness Fair later that Tuesday. In addition to free food, games and fun, important health care-related information was provided for students, parents and families.

"The behavioral health needs of our students have steadily increased over the past five years," said Josh Johnson, superintendent of VCPS. "Our partnership with Essentia Health and Medica has allowed us to support student health needs in our school and community. The new health care virtual access room will improve student access to important behavioral health services within Valley City High School. We are excited to pilot this program and continue to be a leader in education across North Dakota."

To round out the community grant, VCPS will host motivational speaker, Hunter Pinke, on Wednesday, Sept. 18. Pinke will share his inspiring story and message with students, staff and the Valley City community. VCPS will collect feedback from students, staff and parents following this event to continue to improve ways to meet students’ behavioral health needs.