Columbus City Schools to build new health care centers with partnerships
Columbus City Schools announced Monday it has partnered with Nationwide Children's Hospital and PrimaryOne Health to build two new school-based health centers.
The health centers will be based in two high schools — Columbus North International and Fort Hayes — and will be funded through grants and other funding from the two health care systems.
"School-based healthcare centers mean less time out of the classroom for many students, which directly aligns with our district's strategic priority of Whole-Child Focus that allows the students to reach their full potential," said Columbus Schools Superintendent Talisa Dixon in a news release.
The state's Whole Child Framework places the whole child at the center, with districts, schools, families and communities supporting the needs of the "whole child" using a comprehensive approach.
The health center at Columbus North International will be paid for with a $1.3 million grant from PrimaryOne, and will provide primary care, dental, behavioral health, substance use disorder services, vision and hearing, and general health screenings. The services will not only be for students and staff, but for families and other community members around the campus.
Construction for Columbus North International's health center is slated to begin this year and end next spring.
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“This school-based health center will eliminate barriers to quality health care like transportation and provide primary care including dental and vision services for the school children and communities’ families,” said PrimaryOne CEO Charleta B. Tavares in the release.
The health center at Fort Hayes will provide students and community members with primary care, as well as an onsite clinic through Nationwide Children's that will provide health services for students with physical and neurological disabilities and other complex health issues. This health center is projected to cost $1 million and is planned to open in the summer of 2023.
Columbus City Schools currently has 11 other school-based clinics through its partnership with Nationwide Children's Hospital.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus schools to build 2 new health centers for students, families
