On May 22, King County Executive Dow Constantine thanked International Community Health Services’ (ICHS) CEO Teresita Batayola for the health center’s role keeping kids healthy and learning at Highland Middle School. Executive Constantine was at the school to celebrate the partnerships behind ICHS’s school-based health center, which opened this fall as the first in Bellevue, and discuss connecting youth in King County with resources to stay strong and successful.

Batayola joined leaders from Best Starts for Kids, Youth Eastside Services (YES), Bellevue School District and Highland Middle School as they discussed serving an increasingly diverse Eastside community and the challenges facing immigrant and refugee youth and families.

“Immigrant and refugee youth carry the burden of making sure their families are connected,” said Batayola. “The stress and anxiety for them is huge.”

Following the discussion, Sherryl Grey, ICHS health and school services manager, provided Executive Constantine with a tour of the school’s clinic, including a tour of ICHS’s mobile dental clinic, which provides mobile dental services to schools around King County.

Read more about the Executive’s visit on the Best Starts for Kids blog.