We had something happen yesterday here at Washington that I wanted to share with you. It crystallized for me the importance of having the UNM school-based health clinic here on our site.

We had a young man, a very sweet focused 7th grade student, come to the office in the morning with his father. They are both Spanish speaking, poor, and without health care services. They came to pick up his homework because they were worried he would fall behind in class due to having to stay home that day.

He and his father had been injured the day before while working on their car. It must have been an old car because the father was putting gasoline on the carburetor and when it exploded, both he and his son were burned on the face and arm. They used home remedies, but you could tell they were in pain and the wounds were terrible. It broke our hearts when we saw them.

We immediately took them down to the clinic so that Bridget could help them. Bridget and Sylvia were wonderful, taking them to the emergency room, staying with them, translating, and setting up follow-up appointments. They were very caring and professional with the father; a father who had to watch the brave suffering of his child because he did not know there were resources available to help.

The clinic is the frontline of support for our families that work hard, yet still exist on the margins in our health care system. If at any point you would like for us at Washington to advocate on behalf of the school-based clinics, their importance to our communities, and their continued funding, please let me know.

Cynthia Challberg-Hale
Principal, Washington Middle School
Albuquerque Public Schools