District Considers Medi-Cal to Attract Funds : Education: If approved, the state program would compensate Hart schools for some costs of the health care they are required to provide.

When local students go to the nurse’s office next year, school officials hope the federal government will mend some of the financial pain schools feel as well.

The William S. Hart Union High School District is considering a school-based Medi-Cal program to generate new money for the district. The program would compensate the schools for some costs for the physical and mental health care required by law.

Many details remain to be worked out, but the district hopes to begin the program by the fall, said William Maddigan, director of the district’s business and fiscal services. He said the district would be required to keep more extensive student medical records, which could be critical in an emergency, but medical services provided by the school initially would not change.

The district is facing at least a $2-million deficit for the 1994-95 school year. Maddigan said he does not know how much money the Medi-Cal program would generate, but it would not make a substantial impact on the shortfall.

“At first, it didn’t seem like it would be worth the work to set up a big bureaucracy for what seems like a relatively small amount of money,” he said.

But the city, community organizations and the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital have expressed support for the proposal, which could simplify planning and lead to a better system of health care for youth, Maddigan said. In addition, schools would spend less money on existing health services, eventually allowing new services that would not otherwise exist.

“My own conclusion is there’d be . . . a little expansion and a little substitution (for current funding),” he said.

Medi-Cal is the state agency for the federal Medicaid program, providing health care funds for low-income families. Legislation passed by the state in 1992 and modified this year allows school districts to become Medi-Cal providers, receiving a refund of money spent treating eligible students.

Officials estimate 10 to 15 states have passed legislation enabling schools to become Medicaid providers.

The Hart district would become one of the first in the nation to implement the program, although school districts in Los Angeles and Fresno are also considering it. Judy Beck, nurse supervisor of the San Diego Unified School District, said a pilot program begun in that district at the beginning of the 1993-94 school year is living up to its promise.

“For the next fiscal year, I think maybe we will be bringing in some money with which we can enhance services,” she said.

Most of this year’s reimbursements have gone to pay for the computer system that tracks students’ records and for other operating costs, Beck said. Medical services offered by the school district have not changed, she said.

Hart district officials said the cost to design the program is estimated at $1 a student--or about $11,000. The costs of equipment and administration of the program are expected to be covered by Medi-Cal funds.

The amount of reimbursement varies widely, said Craig Cook, a consultant for school-based Medicaid programs. He said a school employee in California who provides health care to students and earns $50,000 a year could generate $2,500 a year in federal reimbursements if 20% of the students at the school are eligible for Medi-Cal.

“That’s for what they are already doing and all they have to do is fill out a time-study form three or four times a quarter,” he said.

Eligible employees are not limited to school nurses, Cook said. Others can include psychological counselors, speech and physical therapists, or even a teacher who arranges for a child to see a doctor.

Maddigan said he estimates 10% to 20% of the students in the Hart district may be eligible for Medi-Cal.

Hart trustees appear supportive of the plan, although a final proposal is far from complete.

“Even if we didn’t get one cent back, I think we ought to do it,” said Bill Dinsenbacher, one of the board’s five members. “There are many potential benefits, but the greatest benefit is healthier pupils.”