Springdale School District Receives Half Million Dollar Grant for Health Clinics
By: Rebecca Jeffrey
Updated: January 10, 2013
A relatively new program in Arkansas is now expanding in our area.
There are about 2,000 school-based medical clinics around the country and soon, NWA will be home to two more.
Soon Springdale schools will be home to two more in-school clinics. Thanks to a half million dollar federal grant.
The clinic looks like a regular school nurse's office, but it's much more.
"They're actual places where we provide medical services just like a doctor's office and they're located in a school," Mary Miller, Coordinated School Health Coordinator for Springdale School District said.
Miller applied for a grant to open the first Springdale school health center at Jones Elementary in 2010.
Now, she's part of a team working to add two more clinics for kids.
"We partnered with the community clinic, which is the federally qualified health care center here in Springdale, they took the lead in writing the most recent grant where we acquired funding to build two more clinics at Parson Hills and Elmdale Elementary schools.
A huge convenience for busy parents.
"If they become ill during the school day and need to see and doctor they can just visit them right there at the clinic," Miller said.
And families who are under or uninsured.
"Once we put a clinic in a school, we treat every child in that school regardless or their ability to pay, regardless of their financial status," she said.
A partnership with Ozark Counseling allows the clinicians to diagnose more than just the typical childhood ailments.
"We also health mental health practitioners in these facilities and they're allowed to do things above and beyond what our normal school counselors do like therapy, group therapy, family therapy, individual therapy, behavior intervention."
Capabilities Miller hopes more schools will soon have access to.
"I can see us in the future having 10 of these."
Springdale school officials say construction on the new clinics could start this spring and possibly be up and running during the 2013-2014 school year.
Springdale isn't the only district with school-based health clinics. Fayetteville has two and Bentonville is currently applying for a grant to add one to one of its elementary schools.
There are about 2,000 school-based medical clinics around the country and soon, NWA will be home to two more.
Soon Springdale schools will be home to two more in-school clinics. Thanks to a half million dollar federal grant.
The clinic looks like a regular school nurse's office, but it's much more.
"They're actual places where we provide medical services just like a doctor's office and they're located in a school," Mary Miller, Coordinated School Health Coordinator for Springdale School District said.
Miller applied for a grant to open the first Springdale school health center at Jones Elementary in 2010.
Now, she's part of a team working to add two more clinics for kids.
"We partnered with the community clinic, which is the federally qualified health care center here in Springdale, they took the lead in writing the most recent grant where we acquired funding to build two more clinics at Parson Hills and Elmdale Elementary schools.
A huge convenience for busy parents.
"If they become ill during the school day and need to see and doctor they can just visit them right there at the clinic," Miller said.
And families who are under or uninsured.
"Once we put a clinic in a school, we treat every child in that school regardless or their ability to pay, regardless of their financial status," she said.
A partnership with Ozark Counseling allows the clinicians to diagnose more than just the typical childhood ailments.
"We also health mental health practitioners in these facilities and they're allowed to do things above and beyond what our normal school counselors do like therapy, group therapy, family therapy, individual therapy, behavior intervention."
Capabilities Miller hopes more schools will soon have access to.
"I can see us in the future having 10 of these."
Springdale school officials say construction on the new clinics could start this spring and possibly be up and running during the 2013-2014 school year.
Springdale isn't the only district with school-based health clinics. Fayetteville has two and Bentonville is currently applying for a grant to add one to one of its elementary schools.
