The wide geographic expanse of the River Delta Unified School District has made it easy to see the district, divided by differing economics and county boundaries, in terms of north and south.

The 2004 school bond measure, for example, was voted on by both regions separately.

And the recent district recon-figuration, which targets the schools in the north, renewed long-held tensions between the two ends of the district.

Even health care has been divided, with Healthy Start serving children in the north and Rio Vista Caring Actions Reach Out to Everyone serving those to the south.

District and school officials hope that a new push to coordinate both agencies' efforts will improve health care districtwide.

Robert Hubbell, the district's new chief educational services officer, helped to facilitate a relationship between the two agencies. Initially, he said he heard skepticism that the agencies would cross the line between north and south -- determined by attendance boundaries for the north and south high schools.

But, he was determined that the entire district benefit from the respective strengths of each agency, despite the traditional tendency for services to be kept within their own regions.

"People are starting to understand if you're talking to me, you're talking about up and down river," Hubbell said.

Healthy Start and Rio Vista CARE have been enthusiastic about working together. They met this past week to flesh out ways to expand their services districtwide.

Earlier this month, the school board approved $30,000 to be split between both agencies.

"The potential is great there, to enhance our program and increase the quality of delivery," said Holly Pauls, the district's Healthy Start coordinator and a registered nurse for the north schools.

The district's north end is served by Healthy Start, a state-funded program. River Delta Unified won a $400,000 grant in 2001 for the program. This grant money has run out, but the program also is funded by money from the north schools and grants that Pauls and her staff members apply for.

Among the services Healthy Start provides is arranging for AmeriCorps volunteers to tutor in the north schools. Healthy Start also does outreach to low-income and Spanish-speaking families, encouraging them to enroll their children in health insurance.

Rio Vista CARE is a nonprofit grass-roots program founded 21 years ago that focuses on counseling, though it also provides similar services to Healthy Start for students in the south. Its funding comes from private and county grants, and donations from the Isleton and Rio Vista communities.

Last year, Rio Vista CARE's staff of licensed and intern counselors worked with 112 students in the south schools and held more than 1,500 counseling sessions.

What will a collaboration between the two agencies look like? It's too early to tell, said Araminta Blackwelder, CARE's executive director and founder. Neither agency has the resources to completely meet all the needs in its service area.

One option would be for the north schools to refer students to Rio Vista CARE for counseling. Also, Healthy Start could use its connections with AmeriCorps to arrange for volunteers at the southern schools.

"We're taking baby steps to figure out how the students in the district can be served adequately," Blackwelder said."