School Nurse Darla Gray Earns G.R.I.T. Champion Award
Posted on 07/26/2024
At the 2024 National School-Based Health Care Conference in Washington, DC, school nurse Darla Gray was presented with the Ohio G.R.I.T. Champion Award, in recognition of her outstanding efforts to help build the new school-based health center housed at Warner Middle School in partnership with Dayton Children’s.
“I could not be more pleased to have Darla’s hard work, dedication, and perseverance recognized by this national body,” said Dr. Gabriel Lofton, Superintendent. “Her commitment and drive to build a sustainable structure of healthcare services for Xenia students is one of the key reasons that we have been able to bring our vision of a school-based health center to fruition over the past several years.”
The G.R.I.T. Award spotlights those making a difference and positively impacting school-based health care in our communities. It recognizes individuals who make genuine (G), resilient (R), innovative (I), and tenacious (T) contributions to school-based health care. Mrs. Gray was chosen as the Ohio Champion by the Ohio School-Based Health Alliance, and the award was presented at the National School-Based Health Alliance (SBHA) Conference in July.
The health center, which will be entering its third year at Xenia Schools, continues to grow and evolve to meet the needs of Xenia students. It serves hundreds of students each year, helping keep them healthy and learning together in the classroom.
During the 2023-2024 school year, the health center saw 836 students over 1,698 appointments. Over the course of those appointments, the nurse practitioner completed 166 well child physicals, made 185 referrals to a specialist or for lab work, and was able to successfully evaluate and send nearly two-thirds of students (62%) safely back to the classroom.
“The innovative thinking that is part and parcel of our health services team means that we are now able to meet the needs of more students than ever,” Lofton said. “Projects such as the transportation grant, in which Darla was also instrumental, are all part of a years-long strategy to strengthen community partnerships and develop one of the most successful and sustainable school-based health centers in the state of Ohio.”