Communities In Schools of the Charleston Area, Inc. (CIS) have received a grant for $100,000 from The Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of South Carolina. The primary purpose of the grant is to improve health awareness and access to health care among the vulnerable population of uninsured and underinsured children and adolescents in the Charleston area.

Communities In Schools utilizes a variety of evidence-based curricula to improve awareness and prevent health related issues that cause adolescents to drop out of school. Student support specialists are placed in underserved schools where they provide extensive case management and wrap around support to approximately 30 students each who display risk factors for not completing school including; becoming infected with HIV and or AIDS, teen pregnancy, and drug and alcohol abuse.

“Through home visits and building relationships with the families, our student support specialists are able to determine the unmet needs of each child, including health care and help provide access to resources within the community,” explained Jane Riley, executive director of Communities In Schools. “By understanding the needs of the families, particularly during the current economic climate, our student support specialists are able to connect families to economic resources, reducing stress in the household and allowing children to better focus on their academic work.”

In addition, Communities In Schools serves as an Integrated Service Provider for all the schools it serves.

For information about Communities In Schools, contact Riley at 843-740-6793 jriley@cischarleston.org.