Stephen L. Williams, M.Ed., MPA, Director Giving Children the Power of Sight Through Public/Private Collaborations & Partnerships Track 2.5 Presented by: Judy Hicks Harris Track 2.5 Presented by: Judy Hicks Harris

 A collaboration with HDHHS and public and private partners to provide free eye exams and glasses to school aged children  Two programs o OneSight, a national program o See to Succeed, the local initiative Kids Vision Partnership

 A foundation of the Luxottica group  HDHHS/OneSight partnership started in 2007  Provides free eye exams and glasses for 1-2 weeks in Houston ( children per week) OneSight

 484,846 children screened in Harris and Fort Bend County schools in *  52,562 failed screening*  20,332 children with unresolved vision problems at end of school year*  *Texas Department of State Health Services Annual Vision Screening Report for Region 6 Public Schools The Need in the Houston Area

 Impaired vision affects ability of children to learn  80% of learning in a child’s first 12 years comes through the eyes  25% children in the U.S. have a vision problem, 20% need glasses  Among juvenile offenders, 78% have a vision problem  Prisons forecast beds need in 10 years based on 3rd grade reading levels Why Address the Need

90% of Children Who Need Glasses DON’T Have Them *According to the Optometric Clinical Practice Guideline. Pediatric Eye and Vision Examinations. St. Louis, MO. American Optometric Association 2nd edition, 2002

Meet Alexander  Alexander is 12 years old and attends a Houston area Charter school  He never had glasses before attending See to Succeed in 6 th grade  Over the summer his glasses were stolen while he was swimming at his apartment pool. His parents were unable to replace the eye wear and he started 7 th grade without his glasses  His school nurse arranged for him to come to See to Succeed again in January 2014 after noticing he did not have his glasses any longer  His grades suffered the first semester of 7 th grade due to his not being able to see the board without straining

Alexander’s Vision Left Eye Right Eye Below is a simulation of Alexander’s non-corrected vision Corrected

Enormous Short- and Long-Term Impact STRONGER WORKFORCE & ECONOMY INCREASED LITERACY & EDUCATION

 Create a locally supported initiative to expand service capacity  Provide services at a volume to address level of need  Provide free eye exams and glasses to 10,000 school aged children in need The Director’s Vision

 Assemble resources to expand capacity  Sell the vision and mission  Build Relationships  Provide infrastructure support Turning the Vision Into Reality

 Provide free eye exams and glasses to 10,000 children per school year  Replicate OneSight’s high volume service delivery model which o Maximizes the number of children served o Remove barriers to access to care The Mission

Funding: Doctors, Optical Manager, Frames, Lenses, Pretest Manager & Students Funding: Doctors, Optical Manager, Frames, Lenses, Pretest Manager & Students Specialized Personnel: Clinical Director, Optometrists, UH Staff & Students,, Equipment, Supplies Specialized Personnel: Clinical Director, Optometrists, UH Staff & Students,, Equipment, Supplies Kid’s Vision Strategic Partnerships Free Lab Work (10,000 glasses per year) HDHHS Stephen Williams HDHHS Stephen Williams ALF Margaret & Joel Shannon ALF Margaret & Joel Shannon Berkley Eye Center San Jacinto College Essilor Vision Foundation NUF Walmart Center HDHHS Stephen Williams University of Houston HDHHS Stephen Williams Build Relationships

Funding: Doctors, Optical Manager, Frames, Lenses, Pretest Manager & Students Funding: Doctors, Optical Manager, Frames, Lenses, Pretest Manager & Students Specialized Personnel: Clinical Director, Optometrists, UH Staff & Students,, Equipment, Supplies Specialized Personnel: Clinical Director, Optometrists, UH Staff & Students,, Equipment, Supplies Free Lab Work (10,000 glasses per year) HDHHS Stephen Williams HDHHS Stephen Williams ALF Margaret & Joel Shannon ALF Margaret & Joel Shannon Berkley Eye Center San Jacinto College Essilor Vision Foundation NUF Walmart Center HDHHS Stephen Williams University of Houston HDHHS Stephen Williams Build Relationships for a Purpose Over 20,000 Glasses Delivered Since 2012

 Established Planning Team  Created “See to Succeed”  Conducted Pilot Project – – Spring 2011, – 422 children seen during the week See to Succeed

 See to Succeed – How it Works

 80 percent of the project resources are donated from school districts, cities, government agencies, colleges and universities, non-profit organizations and businesses  $462,000 annual cash cost, $2.3 million in in-kind services and donated glasses Organizing & Managing Resources

 Executive sponsors collaborative  HDHHS Project Manager & Infrastructure Support  Interagency Operations planning team  Clinics managed with National Incident Management Structure Organizing & Managing Resources

 (6) one week See to Succeed clinics per school year and (1) one week OneSight clinic  Service capacity expanded from 422 in Spring 2011 in one week to 2000 per week in 2014  9803 children examined in  37,593 children examined and 26,665 received glasses since 2007 Results

 Improved performance on state academic assessments *  Improved attendance rates*  Prevention of serious eye problems * 20One%20Sight%20Evaluation.pdf Results

 Partnerships with established foundations such as OneSight  Support from HDHHS  Multiple funding and volunteer sources Success – Critical Factors

 College and University partnerships— significant volume of work by students  Business partners that donate staff, equipment, glasses and other supplies  Commitment from local school districts Success – Critical Factors

 Set a vision that can be shared  Be clear about the mission  Sell the mission rather than requesting resources  Identify partners who share the vision and commit to the mission Lessons Learned

 Allow partners to determine where they best fit  Provide support from a lead agency to provide continuity and ongoing coordination  Be flexible and continuously improve the process  Recognize and value the work of each partners Lessons Learned

 Consists of organizations who are committed to providing vision services for children  Created strategic plan for the Houston area  Vision: Eye care for every child  Mission: To provide children in need with the power of sight for lifelong achievement The Kids Vision for Life Houston Area Coalition

Changing Lives

For More Information Contact Judy Hicks Harris, M.B.A. (832) Corrie Rae (832)