Health Partnership Clinic (HPC) has added a new federally qualified, school-based health center at Merriam Park Elementary School, 6100 Mastin St., in Merriam, Kan. The new site will only be available to Shawnee Mission School District students.
The clinic will offer specialized pediatric-focused care to treat most health conditions that affect school-aged children. Services are available through the school year to any Shawnee Mission student or child who attends the district's Early Childhood Education Center. "School-based clinics can make a huge difference to students' health as well as their academic lives," said HPC's CEO Amy Falk. "In partnership with the school district, we hope to expand our reach to the community and offer convenient care that limits the amount of time students are out of class and parents/guardians must be off work."
"Our goal is to serve as a medical home for children and offer an additional access point to primary care," notes Anne VanGarsse, MD, FAAP, CHCEF, Pediatrician and Chief Health Officer. "Clinic services will include sick child visits, well-child and sports physicals, immunizations, chronic disease care like asthma, obesity and high cholesterol, mental health services, social service referrals and nutritional guidance."
Shelby Rebeck, MSN, BSN, RN, Health Services Coordinator for Shawnee Mission School District says, "The idea is to break down barriers to health care. Barriers for many of our students include low income, lack of knowledge, lack of transportation and parents'/guardians' inability to take time away from hourly jobs. Health Partnership provides a tremendous opportunity for our students to receive critical health care so that they can be successful in school."
"The Shawnee Mission School District and Health Partnership Clinic are an example of how two organizations can come together to help improve the lives of children," says Chaussee Druen, Principal, Merriam Park Elementary School. "The school-based health clinic will greatly expand the resources of our school nurse and social worker, and we hope to see improvement in attendance and student achievement."
The new center has operating hours on Tuesdays for walk-in health services and Wednesdays for behavioral health services. It accepts KanCare/Medicaid, commercial insurance and uninsured patients. A sliding-fee discount program is available to those who qualify. The center will be housed in existing space at the school. For more information about Health Partnership Clinic, or to schedule a medical appointment, Shawnee Mission School District parents should call 913-648-2266. To schedule a behavioral health appointment, parents should contact the school's building social worker, or call 913-993-6422.