At its October 18 meeting, the Riverside Board of Education recently approved plans to build a school-based community health center. Community Health & Wellness Partners (CHWP), an independent, nonprofit health center that provides primary care and other wellness services to residents of Logan and surrounding counties, has partnered with Riverside to build the health center, which will be attached to the existing building to the west of the main offices.
The goal of a school health center is to minimize the time children spend outside of class and maximize the time they spend learning. Studies have shown that students who receive school-based health care also have fewer long-term health problems and perform better academically. Families also retain full control over the health services their children receive or do not receive.
The 1,500 square foot health center will be added to the existing building on the Riverside campus and will provide a community wellness center, community halls for rent, and a clinic to provide medical and mental health services to students and the community. community at large.
“By partnering with the Riverside School District, we have the opportunity to improve access to needed healthcare resources, not only for its students but also for the surrounding community,” said Tara Bair, CEO of CHWP. “Many of these children and their families are underserved and currently have to travel outside the community for primary care, if primary care is even received. The nearest health facility in the area is over 20 minutes away. by car.
The school clinic will use Ohio’s Whole Child Framework, which expands district and school focus beyond academics to meet the social-emotional, physical, and safety needs of each child and place the child at the center while surrounding him with a global approach that includes considerations for the school environment, support and partnerships. To effectively follow this framework, CHWP will implement its TeamCare model, which is used in all CHWP health centers to care for patients holistically by placing the patient in the middle of their healthcare and surrounding them with primary care. , behavioral health, nutrition, pharmacy, chronic care management, medication assistance and social services.
Riverside Superintendent Scott Mann said, “While this is a very exciting time for the Riverside community, providing convenient access to medical care, the most important aspect of this project is mental health services on place for our students in need. Mann said student mental health issues have tripled since 2020, “therefore having on-site support for our students is paramount.”
The project will be funded by a grant awarded to Community Health and Wellness Partners and Riverside Schools by the Ohio Department of Health in the amount of $638,000. The Riverside Community School-Based Health Center is scheduled to open in the fall of 2023. CHWP will begin offering health care services beginning in January 2023 from temporary space until the new facility is complete. .
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