Keene Lions Club screenings help kids envision healthy future

Working closely with Opeyemi Mega Eye Clinic, two local men created a grassroots outreach program to provide free and discounted cataract and glaucoma surgeries, and have successfully restored vision for hundreds of residents between 2021 and 2024.

NGOs like The Fred Hollows Foundation and Vision Spring provide vision screenings and free or low-cost corrective glasses to empower marginalized workers, including tea pickers and garment factory employees, to regain their productivity and independence. Workers who received glasses saw an increase in their daily tea-picking output of about 21.7%.

RestoringVision addresses the global shortage of reading glasses by tackling supply and demand challenges. On the demand side, they partner with local NGOs and governments to provide vision screenings and free initial glasses, particularly for those in regions who either don’t know reading glasses are an option or don’t realize they’re losing their vision. On the supply side, they work to build retail networks and educate employers about productivity benefits, as workers receiving glasses show productivity increases up to 32%.

The Louisville school system is working to fill the vaccination gap among youth by establishing vaccine clinics at nearly all 160 schools, particularly those where immigrant students who are behind on their vaccinations are starting school. Since implementing these clinics, the vaccination rate during the last school year increased by 4%.

A partnership between Hazel Health and the local school district is bridging the gap between students and mental and physical healthcare by providing therapy and telehealth resources before, during and after the school day. Care is provided without any necessary out-of-pocket costs and from November 2023 to June 2024, Hazel Health provided 630 therapy sessions to students across 25 schools.

A Bessemer Elementary School, a telemedicine program launched in 2021 is combatting high rates of absenteeism by providing health care in school. Students can log into a computer at school and receive care, then head back to class rather than having to miss school for doctor visits or sick days. Since the program launched, absenteeism at the school fell from 49% during the 2021-2022 school year to 37% last year.

New legislation in Colorado will implement statewide mental health screenings, expanding existing programs in schools and health centers. For example, Glenwood Springs High School has had a screening program in place since 2020. The school's health center provides care ranging from dental exams to counseling and served over 2,500 students last year.

With the help of several nonprofit organizations, the ECWA Eye Hospital provides free cataract surgery to help those in need who can’t afford the expensive surgery. The Hospital began providing free surgeries in 2016 and has since restored the sight of 5,800 people.

The Restore Foundation for Child Sight provides free eye care, including eye exams, medications, glasses and surgeries to children in underserved communities. The Foundation hosts outreach events to connect with children in need of care and has helped over 5,000 children so far, distributing 455 pairs of glasses, 1,200 eye drops and about 35 free eye surgeries.

Wisconsin’s teen suicide rate and affiliated mental health concerns have increased, challenging school systems to maintain the quality of life for students. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has launched a Mental Health Project that allocates funds to different counties to focus on crisis, suicide, violence, and substance abuse prevention in schools. PATH is one successful program from this initiative—with cost-saving measures, increased student productivity, and improved quality of life.