In an opinion piece in VTDigger, Larner Associate Professor of Pediatrics Heidi Schumacher, M.D.’10, a principal investigator with the Vermont Child Health Improvement Program, applauds the paper’s recent article on school absenteeism but cautions that “the root causes of absenteeism are too big for schools to solve alone, and the ripple effect of school failure can impact the lifelong well-being of individual students and the vibrancy of the broader community.”
Dr. Schumacher notes, “Unmet health and social needs of students and families are leading causes of absenteeism, including mental health challenges, lack of access to transportation and child care needs.”
Through the Every Day Counts project—of which Schumacher is principal investigator—supported by the Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships at UVM, schools and primary care providers in rural Vermont communities are partnering to support school attendance and well-being through aligned messaging, early detection of risk factors, and coordinated care.