By Brett Milam
Editor
A one-stop shop and go-between health center inside Williamsburg Middle and High Schools endeavors to benefit both students, staff and the rural community.
HealthSource Williamsburg Family Practice, located at 500 S. Fifth St. Suite 202, will operate within the schools in partnership with the Williamsburg School District, to provide health care to students and staff, and the public of all ages, with separate and secure entrances for both. Elementary students will be bused from the elementary building to the center by the District.
The location officially opened on July 27.
Chelsie Hornsby, the senior development officer with HealthSource of Ohio, showed The Sun around the new center.
School-based health — the idea of having this sort of center inside a school, but also available to the wider community — is still in its infancy, only coming online in the last few years. The first of its kind in the area was in Western Brown in Brown County, albeit, that one was only for the school, and then most recently at West Clermont.
The center was paid for by HealthSource of Ohio through grants, including from Connect Clermont, and private donors. A partnership with Interact For Health also helped.
“It’s about getting kiddos access to health care,” Hornsby said.
Not having an accessible health source in the community means time, whether that’s time spent commuting, time off from work, time away from the classroom, and so on, that some parents and students can’t afford.
HealthSource retooled and retrofitted the old, unused homeeconomics space at the school to bring the “state-of-the-art” center to the community, with three exam rooms, a conference meeting space for further education on health issues, such as diabetes, and a lab, which can do blood work, check urine and eventually once they get the approval, vaccinations.
Another service will be mobile dental, which will come to the school to offer oral care to the students.
Other services Sahara Dorsey, the full-time clinician, provides at the center include:
– Acute illness and injury treatment.
– Annual preventive exams, well-child checks, sports or work physicals.
– Asthma and other chronic illness diagnosis and management.
– Immunizations and vaccinations.
– Routine lab tests.
– Medication prescriptions.
Dorsey said they like to promote health and wellness, so they’re not only seeing patients who have an acute or chronic problem, but providing that holistic wellness approach.
HealthSource can act as both a primary care physician for the students, but also could be an interim center, too, to be seen for sore throats, cough, belly aches, depression, anxiety things like that, if a student can’t get into their own primary care physician.
“It’s just like a normal functioning doctor’s office,” Dorsey said.
HealthSource will also communicate with the primary care physician to let them know what is going on. It was described as a “continuity of care.”
But HealthSource also has partnerships and communication with Mercy and Child-Focus, Inc., if there needs to be an outside referral. They also are planning a partnership with Fitzgerald’s Pharmacy on Main Street in Williamsburg to have the prescriptions delivered to the school and going home with the kid, in case the parent is unable to pick it up for whatever reason.
If a child is food insecure, HealthSource through its foundation also offers food bags for the child.
HealthSource isn’t in the school to replace the school nurse, but as another partnership. The nurse is the first stop, and then she will determine if they need further care. Kids are only seen by Dorsey with verbal and/or written consent from the parents/guardians, and not without them knowing.
“We’re just so excited to be here in the community to provide this for the kids,” Hornsby said.
Matt Earley, superintendent of Williamsburg Schools, said he’s wanted this here for a “long time.” After a teacher retired from the family consumer science program, the space was available, and the need existed for the community.
Earley looks at HealthSource as a triple up effect, when considering 1,000 students in the District, their parents, grandparents, and so on.
“If you don’t have your basic needs met, your basic feelings met, then good luck trying to learn or teach,” Earley said.
Same-day care is the key difference maker for all involved. Instead of waiting to get in to see a doctor, they can see Dorsey the same-day at HealthSource.
That’s important for staff, too, so they can return to work, and that cuts down on substitute hours the District would have to worry about, Earley explained.
“Healthy students, healthy schools, healthy community, it’s always been a continuum in my book, and it’s something that we’ve lacked, not to the fault of anyone, but it’s just a basic need I’m so excited to have as part of our school now,” Earley said. “It’s going to be a life-changer for the school and the community.”
In short, Earley said it’s about removing barriers to health care.
“It’s an exciting new path for our school with this partnership,” he said.
Hornsby said it takes a “complete village” to make it all work.
HealthSource of Ohio accepts most insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid, and offers a discounted sliding fee for uninsured or under-insured patients. HealthSource Williamsburg is accepting new patients. Call 513-536-5005 to schedule an appointment.
The Center is open year-round, Monday through Friday, form 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
If you would like to know more information about HealthSource of Ohio, go to www.healthsourceofohio.org.