Riverside Board of Education members were provided details at their Tuesday evening meeting regarding what a school-based health clinic would look like in the district through a partnership with the Community Health & Wellness Partners.
Tara Bair, CHWP president and CEO, offered board members an overview of the organization’s history in the community, and its establishment of similarly structured school-based centers in other local districts.
Earlier this year, CHWP was awarded a grant totaling $1,102,297 through the Ohio Department of Health to provide school-based health care services in Riverside Local Schools and Indian Lake Schools.
Riverside Superintendent Scott Mann said the board will vote at their next meeting, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 16, on a Memorandum of Understanding with the CHWP for the school-based health center program.
The district has been working through the design process of a space for a health clinic, which would potentially be located adjacent to the front office, Mann said. He noted that the grant is providing $500,000 toward the capital for this building addition.
In the fall, Bair said the first step in implementing a school-based health center would be to survey students regarding their needs.
CHWP has established school-based health clinics at West Liberty-Salem Schools in 2020, and during the past school year at Benjamin Logan Schools.
She said their work in the schools continues the whole-person, patient-centered approach found at their brick and mortar sites, providing a network of services to meet patients’ needs, including mental and behavioral health services.
Families have appreciated the convenience of their children being seen by a provider during the school day and not having to wait for an after-hours appointment.
“After school, the appointment is already done, and the parent can pick up their student, and stop by the pharmacy for a prescription, if needed,” Bair said.
“We also do not see a child without parental permission, and the parents are always contacted if their child is being seen in the clinic.”
Staff members also can be served by the clinic. The school-based model also keeps in mind concerns that a teacher might have regarding a student’s health needs, Bair said.
“It’s all about being there to help support teachers in doing their jobs”
She also noted that the program “does not replace primary care providers.
“We work in tandem with primary care providers, when students already have one. We find that there are many children who do not have a primary care provider.”
Mann said he anticipates that in the future, the school-based center could also serve community members, so they could receive health care close to home.
He invited Bair to attend one of the district’s monthly senior citizen luncheons to present information to attendees there.
Also during the meeting, Mann discussed the new digital “wall of fame” kiosk that has been installed down the hall from the front office. The searchable touchscreen platform contains class composites and other historical items from the Riverside’s past, and from DeGraff and Quincy Schools.
The superintendent thanked administrative assistant Gwen Heath for all of her time spent in recent weeks uploading pictures of all of the class composites in the school into the digital system.
“It’s a really nice tool to have and one that will be enjoyed by our community, including when the next alumni dinner takes place here,” he said.
In personnel matters, the board accepted the resignation of Brenda Lowery, first-grade teacher, at the end of the 2021-22 contract year. The superintendent expressed appreciation to the 20-year staff member, whose family is relocating out of the area.
The board also approved a new contract for the 2022-23 school year with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office for the school resource officer program, which has been in place in the district for a number of years.
Members convened in executive session at the end of the meeting to discuss security arrangements and emergency response protocols. No action was taken after the session.
In other action, the board:
• approved the employment of Bonnie Shaffer as a bus driver for the upcoming school year;
• approved teachers for Thursday School for the 2022-23 school year at a rate of $25 per hour: Seth Bodenmiller, Nancy Dunham, Victoria Hess, Stacey Fauley, Lucinda Fleming, Adam Huber, Darcie Jenkins, Kimberly Jennings, Danielle King, Kasandera Knief, Becky Lentz, Tim McGill, Elizabeth Hufford-Marks, Haley Meyer, Emilee Perkins, Christine Schrage, Stephanie Smith, Jack Switzer, Ken Truster, Judith Withrow and Taylor Wooten;
• approved of Riverside Local School District Staff Handbook for 2022-23; and
• approved of Program Service Agreement with the Midwest Regional ESC for the 2022-23.