Healthy Learners, a Ministry of the Sisters of Charity Health System, has received a $25,000 grant to expand their services into the Marion County School District.  Healthy Learners is devoted to removing children’s health barriers to learning (HBLs) with love and compassion. Access to health care is Healthy Learners’ mission. From health screenings to identify Health Barriers to Learning (HBLs), to coordinating delivery of health care services to transportation provision to paying for non-covered medical fees for eligible children, all services are focused on removing the barriers that low-income families face in accessing necessary health care. All of these services fill an existing gap in the continuum of health care in Marion County – there is currently not an existing agency that is providing these services in the community.  Children with unmet medical needs in Marion County are facing preventable and/or treatable health problems that negatively affect their academic performance during “normal” times but are disproportionately affecting them in the wake of the COVID pandemic as they went unaddressed for various lengths of time. Recent statistics show that in September 2020, nearly 30% of parents delayed or forewent getting one or more types of health care for their children due to COVID.  Said Kate Paolino in their grant applications ” With the support of Marion County Healthcare Foundation, HL will continue its expansion into Marion County, utilizing grant funds and other committed resources to assigning a Program Manager and AmeriCorps Members to provide direct services to low-income children and youth that attend school in Marion County. HL projects to serve 450 children with 900 services over a 3-year period and will assist in screening a projected 3,000 children for unaddressed vision and dental issues.