Health & Wellness

The TCSD health services staff is comprised of 7 school nurses with bachelor's degrees (including the Director of Health Services & Programs), one full-time health secretary, 17 licensed vocational nurses, and 4 health aides for the 16 school sites covering students from preschool to eighth grade. Please see our Health Services Staff Schedule 2023-2024. 

On a typical day, the TCSD health services staff assesses student’s records on state-mandated immunizations and tuberculosis status and provides first aid and care of students with acute health needs such as fever, vomiting, or injuries. The health services staff will contact parents to inform them of their child’s altered health status while at school. 

Additionally, there is the daily management of our students with chronic health conditions. These conditions consist of Diabetes Mellitus Type I/Type 2, asthma, severe allergies (food or other), epilepsy, and various medical conditions, such as muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, and heart conditions. We manage the care of students with chronic and ongoing health problems with parents and health care providers. These students may come to the health office with routine issues or with the occasional acute episode. 

Within TCSD, the school nurses and the health services staff are often the only link to students’ health care and are a key resource to ensure that children stay healthy, in school, and ready to learn.

In June 2012, Tulare City School District and Altura partnered for the HRSA School-Based Health Center Capital Grant application to bring health care directly to the public, Mulcahy/Roosevelt, and Pleasant Schools through a mobile clinic. In December 2012, Altura received the grant to purchase a brand new mobile clinic and for the electrical upgrades at Pleasant and Mulcahy. The mobile clinic was custom built with two medical exam rooms, a waiting area, and a front provider work area. It was delivered to Tulare in April 2014. Altura has been working with the state licensure and Medi-Cal, Medicare, Vaccine for Children, and CHDP applications. During the grant process Altura, in conjunction with Tulare City School District, distributed community health surveys at several schools to assess the community’s needs. The top concerns of parents at Roosevelt Elementary School are asthma, nutrition, available appointments, obesity, and the ability to get a physical assessment. The top concerns at Pleasant Elementary School are asthma, allergies, diabetes, nutrition, and cholesterol. Families can have these health conditions treated at the new mobile unit. The mobile clinic will provide primary health care such as sick visits, physicals, immunizations, well-woman exams, sports physicals, and more. Walk-ins are available or call 686-9097 for appointments. Expanded hours will be coming soon.

Altura has numerous services to provide to the community and multiple locations in the City of Tulare and Woodville. Visit their website for more information.

Primary Care Services:

• Family Medicine Pediatrics
• OB/GYN Dental

Specialty Services:

• Behavioral Health Geriatrics
• Neurology Pediatric Cardiology Internal Medicine
• Oncology Podiatry Ophthalmology
• General Surgery Nephrology
• Orthopedic

Appointments:
We encourage you to make an appointment for medical and dental services. Walk-in services are available.

Payment Services:
Altura accepts Medi-Cal, Medicare, and most private insurances. For additional information, please call us, or visit Altura's website. The sliding fee scale is available as well as programs for uninsured and low-income patients.

All the food and beverages we serve and that students bring onto our school campuses must meet the guidelines in our wellness policy. We do not permit our students or teachers to consume or distribute candy and/or soda while on any of the Tulare City School District properties. These regulations apply from midnight to a half-hour after school ends. We invite you to read more about our Wellness Policy (Español-próximamente). 

The Nutrition Services department has of a team of food and nutrition professionals that are dedicated to students' health, well-being, and their ability to learn. We support learning by promoting healthy habits for our students' success - physically, personally, and academically. Students who participate in school breakfast receive one fourth of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for protein, calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C. School lunch also provides one third of the RDAs for the same nutrients on average over the course of a week, making participation in the school meals program a positive thing to do to set your child up for success. 

Good nutrition and learning go hand in hand.