HEALY-MURPHY CENTER

Responding to the high incidence of teen pregnancy in Bexar County, the Healy-Murphy Child Development Center was added in 1972. The on-site child development center provides a nurturing environment for infants and children during the day while their parents pursue their high school diploma or G.E.D. at Healy-Murphy Center. Teen mothers who would have had to stay home with their children have been able to continue their education because of our excellent on-site childcare center. Since the birth rate to teens in Bexar County is twice the national average, our child development center is vital to our community. 

In any given year, Healy-Murphy Child Development Center serves approximately 200 children. Over 50% of these children have teen parents attending Healy-Murphy Center. Since our mission is to serve at-risk youth, no pregnant or parenting teen is turned away. As a result, we care for up to 40 infants daily, as opposed to the 5-10 maximum number of infants that other childcare centers usually accommodate. Each school year approximately 60% of the children at the child development center came from families earning less than $5,000 a year. Approximately 80% of our children’s families earn less than $15,000 a year. Without early intervention, these children run a high risk of failure in school because of their low-income status and the fact that their parents are still in high school.

The Healy-Murphy Center Campus Clinic will provide health services and education to young people in crisis, including those who may be pregnant/parenting, homeless, impoverished, and/or suffering from violence and abuse. The Campus Clinic is a trusted, accessible source of direct care, preventive services, mental health care, and wellness support for youth who would not otherwise receive reliable medical attention.

Healy-Murphy Center's Youth Training Project directly addresses the needs of teens at-risk of dropping out and their young children who are at-risk of continuing the cycle of lack of success in school. Issues frequently impacting potential leavers are unplanned pregnancy, low-skill employment, poverty, and antisocial or disciplinary behaviors. The profile of an “average” YTP client comes to HMC over-aged for grade attainment, deficient in credits and academic skills, a poor tester, highly mobile, pregnant and/or parenting, in an unstable living arrangement, and lacking a connection with a caring adult in the school community. Additionally, a majority of students have experienced some form of violence and/or abuse. Teen clients have been diagnosed with a variety of mental health issues including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and suicidal thoughts.

Healy-Murphy provides Well Baby and Well Mommy programs, in which two pediatric nurse practitioners contracted from the UT Health Science Center visit campus weekly. One nurse practitioner monitors the health and development of the children of our teen parents that receive childcare at Healy-Murphy Child Development Center. The second nurse practitioner monitors expecting teen mothers throughout the stages of pregnancy and ensures that teen parents receive pre- and post-natal care. Nurse practitioners identify early symptoms of illness, make referrals when needed, help teen parents treat their children’s illnesses, and make recommendations to improve the health of both the teenagers and their children.

The primary objective of this program is to provide individualized academic instruction and case
management to youth in crisis so that they may earn their GED. The students that enter the Healy-Murphy GED program are usually in need of essential social services due to circumstances including teen pregnancy/parenting, family poverty, and prior criminal activity.