MADISON, Wis. -- More than 1,000 Madison Metropolitan School District students are without health insurance, but now, a network of 11 health care providers is aiming to provide access to health care to all of them while reducing costly trips to the emergency room.

For school nurse and nurse practitioner Beth Braun, a healthy body really does equal a healthy mind.

"The more we can keep kids healthy up front, the more they're able to attend school, be healthy at school and have more chance at academic achievement," Braun said.

Braun isn't just caring for the diverse student population at Whitehorse Middle and Schenk Elementary schools. She is also making sure uninsured students get basic health care services through a program called Primary Access for Kids, or PAK. The year-round program covers annual physical exams, primary care office visits at the assigned clinic, including visits when the child is sick, as well as some prescription medicines.

"It's a new program so I think I signed up 12 families probably in a couple weeks time at the end of school last year," she said.

The program starts with the school nurse in every school in the district. The nurse identifies students based on two main criteria: they don't have any health insurance and don't qualify for any state programs like BadgerCare.

The nurse then forwards an application for the program to the health care provider that has been paired up with the school. The health care provider then contacts the student’s parents.

The program is available to undocumented students. MMSD Superintendent Dan Nerad defends this decision by citing the U.S. Supreme Court case that requires schools to educate all children regardless of immigration status.

"These are children that have needs and we have an obligation to educate them both legally and ethically and morally but underscoring it's a legal obligation first and foremost for us," he said. "And when kids aren't well they need to be taken care of."

So far, 40 uninsured students are receiving free services through the program, but that is a small number compared to the estimated 1,050 uninsured students district-wide in 2009.

"All the families I've contacted about this program have been very excited about it and have gone forth with the whole application," said Braun.

MMSD's partner is Access Community Health Center on East Washington Avenue. Center officials said in 2009 that they cared for 4,000 children from across Dane County. Of those, 1,300 didn't have health insurance. So far, officials said it's cared for 16 Madison students.

"Kids right now that didn't have that need before and now do," said Nerad. "So, obviously with kids back in school they'll be identified more regularly because they are back in school and I think we'll build that number up over time."

Braun said she expects the effort to really take off.

"The numbers are going to be big because my goal this year is to get all the students in my two schools on it, that want it," she said.

Group Health Cooperative, a member of PAK, said there is not a cost estimate available right now because the program is still new.

PAK is an initiative of the Dane County Health Council. Members working together to make the program possible include: Access Community Health Centers; Dane County Medical Society; Dean Clinic; GHC-SCW; Meriter; MMSD; Public Health Madison-Dane County; St. Mary's; United Way of Dane County; UW Health; and Wildwood.