My Health Story

Mikayla Tomandl

My Health Story: Mikayla Tomandl

Mikayla Tomandl
Lakeview Youth Clinic

School-based health care is important to not only just me as an individual, but to my community as well. Although health care in and of itself is becoming more available across class groups, many young people remain uneducated of their availability in terms of health care due to parental lack of knowledge. This knowledge gap is overcome with the school-based health care programs. Through school-based health programs, not only can young adults 21 and under have direct access to health care through a provincial part of their lives, but they can readily receive care and health education as well. This immediate and convenient availability is so beneficial in communities like Lakeview, where although there are multiple health avenues in terms of providers, young people looking for care need to search no further than their school district.

Personally, my school-based health center has helped me become a better student by allowing me to be confident in my health through knowledge. I have a personal relationship with many of the health care providers at the Lakeview Youth Clinic, and this allows me to be comfortable in seeking health care and guidance. When I go to the Youth Clinic, I know that the people there don’t just want me to get better, they want me to know how I can maintain my health. The health care providers at the Lakeview Youth Clinic are genuinely concerned about the students of the Lakeview community, and show this through their treatment of their patients emotional, mental, and physical health.

One of the key components of the school-based health programs is that students can seek the help they need without the concern of payment. In many cases students are seeking medical care individually, and would not be able to afford a visit with the community’s main source of a health care provider. Funding for these programs allows for the continued easy access and availability for students in need. If these programs were eliminated from the community due to lack of funding, there would be an increase in the amount of students in need, and not receiving care.

As a community the school-based health programs increase health knowledge and the availability of care to all ages of students. Health is so much more than just not being sick, it’s a physical, mental, and social well-being. Habits that promote life-long health need to be taught at a young age and encouraged through a person’s life. This is truly the Lakeview Youth Clinics goal for the community of Lakeview Students and it is an obvious passion of the people who work there.

I feel fortunate that my community has a school-linked clinic and that it can benefit a large group of my peers that may not have access to healthcare any other way.


 

About the My Health Story Contest

School-Based Health Care Awareness Month is the time each year that we pause to celebrate the value of school-based, school-linked and school wellness programs. This year, we asked youth across Michigan to tell us how a School-Based or School-linked Health Center has improved their health and helped them to succeed in school. Contestants wereasked to submit an essay about their experiences with a Health Center. Stories will be posted daily on our website beginning in February during Awareness Month to the end of April when we host advocacy day. You can see all the contest entries here.

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