Fort Worth elementary school could re-open health clinic though UNT HSC partnership
The Fort Worth school district might re-open a health clinic at a local elementary school to serve children in need thanks to a partnership with UNT Health Science Center.
The district’s school board will vote Tuesday on an agreement between the district and HSC that would re-open a health clinic at Eastern Hills Elementary School.
Fort Worth’s school district previously had at least four such clinics on its campuses, including the one at Eastern Hills, all of which were operated by JPS Health Network, Tarrant County’s public hospital. In 2021, however, JPS closed the majority of these clinics, including those that were on Fort Worth campuses.
The clinics, which are known as school-based health centers, provide a range of low-cost preventive care for school children, in particular for those children who are poor, don’t have health insurance, or who otherwise have a difficult time going to the doctor. Clinics of this nature are typically small, and offer basic care like sports physicals and treatment for chronic illnesses like asthma and diabetes.
One of the clinics formerly operated by JPS re-opened in January as the Alcon Children’s Vision Center, where school kids can get screenings, eye exams, and prescription glasses for free.
If the agreement with HSC is approved, HSC would provide one or more qualified members of its health care staff to work at the clinic, according to a copy of the agreement the board will vote on. The clinic space would maintained and owned by the district.
The agreement would also continue existing partnerships with HSC, including a program called Asthma 411 that has dramatically reduced the number of 911 calls from local schools for children experiencing asthma attacks. The program allows students who have asthma, but who might not have access to medications that can provide immediate relief during an asthma attack, to receive the medication from school nurses with their parents’ permission.
The school district will vote on the memorandum of understanding at its Tuesday board meeting.
