CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A school art room has been transformed into the Ashtabula City School District's first school-based health clinic.
Gov. Mike DeWine recently joined festivities marking the opening of the clinic, which includes two exam rooms, medication room, physician office and waiting area. It is run through a partnership with Ashtabula Regional Medical Center, and was built with state funding, the governor's office said.
The pediatric clinic will offer acute illness visits, medication management, immunizations, management of chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes, physicals, well-child visits, and more.
The Ashtabula Regional Medical Center School-based Health Center is located in the Huron Primary / Lakeside High building in Ashtabula. When the roof collapsed at Lakeside High School as a result of a 2024 snowstorm, the school district relocated students in grades 10-12 to Huron Primary School, and is currently calling the facility Huron Primary / Lakeside High.
School-based healthcare has been shown to significantly reduce barriers to accessing essential health services, leading to improved physical, behavioral, and academic outcomes for students, the governor's office said.
The clinic's location puts it within walking distance for students at five district buildings. The school district is working on providing transportation support for students who attend classes further away, the medical center said.
"The clinic is convenient for our students so, in some cases, they don't have to choose between missing school to go to the doctor or their education," said Ashtabula Area City Schools superintendent Lisa McQuoid-Newsome. "This is a great opportunity for our families, and ARMC and AACS will continue its strong partnership to service the students and families of Ashtabula County."
Children up to age 18 can receive care, McQuoid-Newsome said. Office visits are by appointment only.
The school-based health center also benefits parents who don't have to miss time at work to take a child to the doctor, said Ashtabula Regional Medical Center CEO Leonard Stepp, Jr.
"A child cannot learn if they are distracted or miss school because they don't feel well," Stepp said. "Parents shouldn't have to worry that getting care for their child will jeopardize their job."
The health clinic was built with funding from a $330,000 grant awarded as part of DeWine's Appalachian Children's Health Initiative.
"This new clinic proves that when we invest in our schools, we're investing in the strength and health of our communities as a whole," DeWine said at the Aug. 28 ribbon cutting. "Together, we are proving what's possible when we put our children and families first."
The Appalachian Children's Health Initiative has invested more than $64 million to support the creation or expansion of community- and school-based health clinics, as well as the launch of healthcare-focused workforce development programs.
Funds from the health initiative was divided among 28 projects that are expected to impact 61,000 students and 375,000 area residents in 20 Appalachian counties that make up Ohio's 32-county Appalachian region, the governor's office said.
The initiative is part of the larger Appalachian Community Grant Program that has committed $500 million to strengthen the state's Appalachian region.