REED CITY — A brand new school-based health clinic will open at Reed City Area Public Schools in August.
Family Health Care, a federally qualified health center that operates school-based clinics in Baldwin, Grant and White Cloud has tentatively set Aug.15 as the opening date for the clinic inside Reed City High School.
Superintendent Mike Sweet said he is looking forward to the clinic serving students and parents in the district.
“At the district, Family Health Care— I believe— has all their positions filled,” Sweet said. “The renovations to the offices where the clinic went in is supposed to be finished around Aug. 15, so that they should be able to open up and have everything in place to be able to provide full services.”
Sweet said the goal is to offer services that may be able to address simpler health needs for students and provide more extensive resources for mental health on top of the multiple social workers the district already employs who are not connected to the clinic.
“The district is looking forward to this physician’s assistant there, along with behavioral health opportunities for students to meet needs,” Sweet said. “Hopefully parents don’t have to take (students) out of school. Parents may be able to stay at work, and it’s a program that parents can opt their children into if they want to take advantage of it. We’re looking forward to those things being in place as school starts.”
A grant from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ Child and Adolescent Health Center program funds the project.
The clinic will provide primary care, preventative care, comprehensive health assessments, vision and hearing screenings, medication, immunization, treatment of acute illness, chronic disease management, health education, and mental health care to youth and adolescents ages five to 21.
Audrey Cooper, PA-C, has been hired to serve as the medical provider at the school-based clinic.
Program supervisor Heather Battle said Cooper will bring a wealth of healthcare knowledge to the district.
“Audrey brings several years of pediatric experience to our team,” Battle said. “Her calm, caring and compassionate demeanor perfectly fits a school-based clinic. We are fortunate to have her as the provider to help expand services in Reed City. The clinic will provide access to pediatric care and behavioral health care to Reed City students regardless of income or insurance status. The goal is to make health care affordable and accessible.”
Sweet said he is also hopeful the clinic will provide additional assistance for student’s mental health concerns.
“What we’re hoping that with the behavioral health (aspect) the clinic can help take more serious cases and find ways to be able to either address those or to refer them out to specialty services within the community,” Sweet said.
Construction crews are currently completing renovations at the high school for the new health clinic, which will have a secure, dedicated entrance. A public open house is being planned for September.
After its official opening, the clinic will be open year-round from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday – Friday. To schedule an appointment call 231-791-7435.
To learn more about Family Health Care’s school-based health clinic, visit www.familyhealthcare.org/schoolbasedhealth .
For more information on RCAPS visit www.reedcityschools.org .
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