There are different ways in which some regional schools are benefiting from the placement of an on-site clinic, but providing quality health care to some who might not otherwise have access to it appears to be paying off.
According to Chanda Pogue, a registered nurse with Neelyville School District, the benefits are multiple.
“The first, most immediate benefit that I can see is that the school attendance numbers have improved,” Pogue explained. “The reason for that is because, with having the clinic here, we can send students to the clinic for evaluation as opposed to just sending them home after seeing symptoms.”
Neelyville School District was the first location in the area to incorporate an on-site clinic that is operated by Missouri Highlands Health Care. The school clinic officially opened in November 2022.
Pogue went on to explain that not every child has immediate access to health care, and sending students home can also create difficulties for homes where the parents/guardians all work.
“Sending children home during the school day isn’t always the best outcome,” Pogue remarked. “It helps that the clinic has laboratory access, so tests can be done and there can be actual diagnoses made in the clinic.”
In addition to helping keep the school attendance numbers up, Pogue explained the clinic has been able to help students by having the ability to diagnose different illnesses.
“The clinic has been able to diagnose things like urinary tract infections and iron deficiency,” Pogue explained. “It really helps because, sometimes, different illnesses can have symptoms that mimic something else. So having access to the clinic is an excellent advantage for our students and staff.”
According to Bailey Hester, director of health services for Poplar Bluff Middle School, the hope is that a similar clinic will soon be in place locally at the middle school.
“It’s still in the early stages and we haven’t got it going yet,” Hester explained. “We’re very hopeful that we can improve student attendance and reduce the burden on parents.”
Hester went on to state she hopes Poplar Bluff Middle School will see the same benefits that Neelyville has already started to experience.
“We believe they will all be able to provide the same services here,” Hester stated. “We’re very excited about this opportunity, but we don’t have a schedule set for it yet.”
Currently, Missouri Highlands also offers clinic services for Naylor and Doniphan schools as well.
“Overall, it doesn’t exactly make things easier as far as the job that we have to do,” Pogue stated. “But what it does do, is it improves the overall quality of care and does more to control the spread of contagious illnesses, and that affects everyone’s health as well as attendance.”
Pogue explained that the clinic isn’t free, but it does use a sliding scale for fees, and families are billed after the fact.
“I think it’s just an incredible program and I think that it’s a great idea for any school,” Pogue remarked. “I’m very pleased that we have it here.”