SIGHT SAVERS OF AMERICA INC

SIGHT SAVERS AMERICA (SSA) IS A 501C3 NON-PROFIT THAT WORKS TO IDENTIFY & SECURE THE EYE CARE NEEDS OF CHILDREN, FROM THEIR FIRST PAIR OF EYEGLASSES TO EXTENSIVE SIGHT-SAVING TREATMENT AND HIGH-TECH VISION AIDS FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH SEVERE VISUAL IMPAIRMENT. OUR SERVICES SPAN 16 STATES. THROUGH THREE PROGRAMS, SSA FULFILLS ITS MISSION: THE EYE CARE PROGRAM, LOW VISION & BLINDNESS PROGRAM AND SCREENING PROGRAM. TODAY, SSA PROVIDES COMPREHENSIVE FOLLOW-UP EYE CARE, LOW VISION & BLINDNESS SERVICES, VISION SCREENINGS AND HEAD-TO-TOE HEALTH SCREENINGS FOR 92,000 CHILDREN AND ADULTS ANNUALLY. SSA OPERATES WITH A BOARD OF TRUSTEES, A STAFF OF 39 AND ALSO PARTNERS WITH A NATIONWIDE NETWORK OF OVER 1,300 EYE CARE PROFESSIONALS WHO OFTEN DISCOUNT OR DONATE THEIR SERVICES FOR OUR PROGRAMS. FROM A DILATED EYE EXAM AND A PAIR OF EYEGLASSES TO SIGHT SAVING SURGERY AND HIGH-TECH AIDS, SSA PARTNERS WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO REDUCE HEALTH DISPARITIES AND PROVIDE ESSENTIAL EYE CARE AND VISION SERVICES FOR THOSE IN NEED. CHILDREN ARE REFERRED TO OUR EYE CARE PROGRAM FOLLOWING A FAILED SCHOOL VISION SCREENING (PROVIDED BY PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS OR SSA) OR FROM COMMUNITY PARTNERS, SCHOOL STAFF, MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS AND FAMILY MEMBERS. ONCE REFERRED, THE EYE CARE PROGRAM USES A CASE MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO ENSURE THAT CHILDREN RECEIVE DILATED EYE EXAMS AND ALL PRESCRIBED TREATMENTS. APPROXIMATELY 1 IN 4 CHILDREN IN THE U.S. ARE ESTIMATED TO HAVE SOME FORM OF A VISION PROBLEM AND THESE DISORDERS ARE THE MOST PREVALENT DISABLING CHILDHOOD CONDITION, IMPACTING DEVELOPMENT, LEARNING AND QUALITY OF LIFE. SSA'S NATIONAL MODEL FOR FOLLOW-UP EYE CARE WORKS WITH EACH FAMILY INDIVIDUALLY TO SUCCESSFULLY CONNECT THEIR CHILD(REN) WITH A LOCAL EYE CARE HOME, FOR AN INITIAL EXAM AND RECURRENT EYE CARE THROUGH HIS OR HER 19TH BIRTHDAY. EACH CHILD IS ASSIGNED A CASE SPECIALIST TO MANAGE HIS OR HER EYE CARE NEEDS FROM START TO FINISH. THROUGH A MULTI-LAYERED CONTACT PROTOCOL VIA MULTIPLE CALLS, TEXTS, LETTERS AND EMAILS, INITIAL CONTACT IS ESTABLISHED WITH PARENTS WHO ARE INFORMED OF THE SCREENING RESULTS AND EDUCATED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF RECURRENT EYE CARE. CONTINUING WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE CASE MANAGEMENT, SSA SCHEDULES DILATED EYE EXAMS WITH LOCAL EYE CARE PROVIDERS, REMINDS PARENTS OF APPOINTMENTS AND ARRANGES TRANSPORTATION AS NEEDED. AFTER THE EYE EXAM, CASE SPECIALISTS COORDINATE ALL PRESCRIBED TREATMENTS INCLUDING PRESCRIPTION EYEGLASSES, TREATMENT FOR AMBLYOPIA (WHICH CAN CAUSE PERMANENT VISION LOSS IF LEFT UNTREATED), MEDICATIONS, VISION THERAPY, ONGOING CARE AND SURGERIES. ALL ACTIVITY IS RECORDED IN SSA'S PROPRIETARY DATABASE, ENSURING EXAM OUTCOMES AND TREATMENTS ARE CAPTURED IN ORDER TO BETTER SERVE RETURNING FAMILIES IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS AND TO ENABLE DETAILED PROGRAM REPORTING TO FUNDERS AND STAKEHOLDERS. INSURANCE COVERAGE IS UTILIZED WHEN APPLICABLE AND EXPENSES NOT COVERED BY INSURANCE ARE DONATED OR PAID OUT OF POCKET BY SSA. CASE SPECIALISTS FACILITATE APPLICATION TO CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM (CHIP) IF THE FAMILY IS UNINSURED. SSA ALSO COLLABORATES WITH SEVERAL STATE AGENCIES TO PROVIDE FOLLOW-UP EYE CARE THROUGH STATEWIDE VISION PROGRAMS: ALABAMA'S PROGRAM SERVES ALL KINDERGARTEN, SECOND AND FOURTH-GRADERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS; MISSISSIPPI'S PROGRAM COVERS ALL KINDERGARTNERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS; AND SOUTH CAROLINA'S PROGRAM SUPPORTS PRESCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN ACROSS ALL COUNTIES. TO DATE, APPROXIMATELY 1 MILLION CHILDREN HAVE BEEN HELPED THROUGH THE EYE CARE PROGRAM IN AL, MS, SC, TN, GA, TX, AND NC. DURING THE 23/24 SCHOOL YEAR, THESE SERVICES WERE PROVIDED TO 48,798 CHILDREN. THE LOW VISION & BLINDNESS PROGRAM FOCUSES ON HELPING CHILDREN AND ADULTS WHO HAVE A SEVERE VISUAL IMPAIRMENT OR BLINDNESS BY PROVIDING HIGH-TECH VISUAL ASSISTIVE DEVICES TO THOSE WITH A MEDICAL AND FINANCIAL NEED. THE GOAL IS TO MAXIMIZE THE REMAINING SIGHT OF INDIVIDUALS WITH A SEVERE VISUAL IMPAIRMENT AND IMPROVE THE FUNCTIONAL ABILITIES OF THOSE WITH BLINDNESS. INDIVIDUALS WITH LOW VISION OR BLINDNESS FACE OVERWHELMING CHALLENGES IN THEIR DAILY LIVES AS THEY NAVIGATE ROUTINE ACTIVITIES LIKE READING, WRITING OR TRAVELING. THESE LIFE-CHANGING AIDS ARE NEVER COVERED BY MEDICAL INSURANCE AND ARE PROHIBITIVE FOR MANY FAMILIES DUE TO THEIR HIGH COST. YET, THEY ARE ESSENTIAL FOR STUDENTS TO BETTER ACCESS EDUCATION, FOR ADULTS TO PURSUE NEW EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND FOR OLDER ADULTS TO MAINTAIN INDEPENDENCE AND AGE IN PLACE. SSA WORKS WITH LOCAL TEACHERS OF THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED, LOW VISION EXPERTS, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, STATE AGENCIES AND OTHERS TO ACTIVELY IDENTIFY POTENTIAL RECIPIENTS. THOSE REFERRED ARE INDIVIDUALLY CASE MANAGED, ENSURING THAT EACH INDIVIDUAL HAS RECEIVED A RECENT EVALUATION BY A LOW VISION EXPERT WHO WILL RECOMMEND THE AIDS MOST BENEFICIAL TO HIM OR HER. VIDEO MAGNIFIERS ARE THE GOLD STANDARD OF LOW VISION EQUIPMENT AND CAN AUTOMATICALLY FOCUS AN IMAGE, CHANGE AND ENHANCE COLOR AND CONTRAST, AND ASSIST IN THE TRACKING OF IMAGES. A CAMERA AND A DISPLAY SCREEN PROVIDE DIGITAL MAGNIFICATION, ENLARGING IMAGES UP TO 118X WHICH ENABLES INDIVIDUALS WITH SEVERE VISUAL IMPAIRMENT TO READ, WRITE AND PERFORM OTHER DAILY ACTIVITIES INDEPENDENTLY. INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE BLIND (HAVE INSUFFICIENT VISION TO DO TASKS VISUALLY, EVEN WITH MAGNIFICATION) USE DEVICES THAT CONVERT DIGITAL INFORMATION TO BRAILLE ON A REFRESHABLE BRAILLE DISPLAY OR USE OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION (OCR) TO READ TEXT OUT LOUD, AND AI TO PROVIDE FACIAL RECOGNITION, IDENTIFY CURRENCY AND PRODUCTS BY THEIR BAR CODES, CONVEYING INFORMATION AUDIBLY AND IN REAL-TIME TO THE INDIVIDUAL. OPTICAL VISION AIDS RECOMMENDED BY PARTNERING SPECIALISTS, SUCH AS MONOCULARS, DOME MAGNIFIERS AND BIOPTICS ARE ALSO PROVIDED. SSA PARTNERS WITH THE MANUFACTURING COMPANIES OF THESE AIDS, LEVERAGING THE DEEP DISCOUNTS RECEIVED AND IN-KIND EQUIPMENT DONATED TO SERVE AS MANY INDIVIDUALS AS POSSIBLE. SSA HOLDS LOCAL CLINICS TO THOROUGHLY TRAIN RECIPIENTS AND CARE GIVERS ON ALL AIDS AND, WHEN NEEDED, CAN PROVIDE HOME TRAINING AND DELIVERY. HIGH-TECH VISION AND BLIND AIDS, INCLUDING HIGH-TECH VIDEO MAGNIFIERS AND OTHER ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY HAVE BEEN PROVIDED IN THE HOMES OF NEARLY 4,000 RECIPIENTS IN 16 STATES (AL, AR, MS, TX, GA, TN, CA, IL, FL, LA, HI, AK, OH, SC, NC, AND NY). SSA HAS SUCCESSFULLY ELIMINATED THE BACKLOG OF CHILDREN WAITING FOR THIS EQUIPMENT ACROSS THE ENTIRE STATES OF ALABAMA, MISSISSIPPI AND HAWAII, AS WELL AS IN LARGE AREAS OF TEXAS, METRO ATLANTA AND THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE. ONCE THE WAITLIST FOR CHILDREN IS ELIMINATED IN A REGION OR STATE, SSA ENTERS THE MAINTENANCE PHASE, DURING WHICH NEWLY DIAGNOSED CHILDREN, THOSE WHO MOVE INTO THE STATE OR THOSE WHO AGE INTO THE PROGRAM ARE REFERRED AND SERVED. IN GEOGRAPHIC AREAS WHERE THE BACKLOG OF NEED FOR CHILDREN HAS BEEN MET, SERVICES ARE EXPANDED TO OLDER ADULTS. DURING THE 2023/24 YEAR, 392 INDIVIDUALS RECEIVED 379 HIGH-TECH VISION AND BLIND AIDS AS WELL AS 135 OPTICAL DEVICES (SOME RECIPIENTS RECEIVED MORE THAN ONE AID). THE SCREENING PROGRAM WORKS WITH UNDERSERVED SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE ANNUAL VISION AND/OR HEALTH SCREENINGS TO PREK-12 STUDENTS. THE PROGRAM SCREENS FOR AND DETECTS A WIDE RANGE OF POTENTIAL VISION & HEALTH ISSUES. VISION SCREENINGS IN AL, GA, MS, SC AND TX ARE CONDUCTED USING A STATE-OF-THE-ART PHOTOREFRACTOR DEVICE. THIS NON-INVASIVE DEVICE EFFICIENTLY SCREENS CHILDREN, CAPTURING REFRACTION DATA IN LESS THAN ONE SECOND, ENSURING STUDENTS MISS A MINIMAL AMOUNT OF CLASSROOM TIME. APPROXIMATELY 25% OF CHILDREN SCREENED NEED AN EYE EXAM AND ARE REFERRED TO THE CHILDREN'S EYE CARE PROGRAM FOR CASE MANAGEMENT WITHIN ONE DAY. SINCE THE PROGRAM'S INCEPTION, OVER 181,000 CHILDREN HAVE BEEN SCREENED. DURING THE 2023/24 SCHOOL YEAR, 30,629 CHILDREN WERE VISION SCREENED AND 8,602 WERE REFERRED FOR COMPREHENSIVE FOLLOW-UP. ADDITIONALLY, THE SCREENING PROGRAM PROVIDES HEAD-TO-TOE SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH SCREENINGS, IDENTIFYING UNDIAGNOSED AND UNMET MEDICAL CONCERNS FOR PRESCHOOL-12TH GRADE STUDENTS IN UNDERSERVED AREAS OF ALABAMA. SSA PARTNERS WITH LOCAL NURSING SCHOOLS TO CONDUCT THE SCREENINGS, WHICH INCLUDE: HEIGHT/WEIGHT, CHEST AND ABDOMEN EXAMINATION, SKIN AND MUSCULOSKELETAL, EYES, EARS, NOSE AND THROAT EXAMINATIONS, DENTAL, VISION, HEARING, GLUCOSE, VITAL SIGNS, SCOLIOSIS & CHOLESTEROL. EACH STATION SCREENS FOR A VARIETY OF ABNORMALITIES AND STUDENTS RECEIVE A DETAILED HEALTH ASSESSMENT. RESULTS ARE PROMPTLY SHARED WITH PARENTS. SCHOOL NURSES RECEIVE AGGREGATE VISION AND HEALTH SCREENING DATA FOR THE SCHOOL AS WELL AS INDIVIDUAL SCREENING RESULTS FOR EACH CHILD. URGENT MEDICAL ISSUES ARE ADDRESSED ONSITE AND NON-URGENT MEDICAL ISSUES ARE ADDRESSED WITH THE SCHOOL NURSE. SSA ALSO PROVIDES VISION, DENTAL, NUTRITION AND EXERCISE EDUCATION VIA HEALTH INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS. SINCE THE PROGRAM'S INCEPTION, OVER 210,000 CHILDREN HAVE BEEN SCREENED. DURING THE 2023/24 SCHOOL YEAR, 13,516 CHILDREN WERE SCREENED ACROSS 14 ALABAMA COUNTIES.