Tri-City Sun

Amanda Forsmark, director of the school based health centers program at Sterling Area Health Center, came to the May 22 board meeting at Pinconning schools to talk about the partnership the center is creating with the district.

"We are here as a resource, not only to students but also to the families, also to the schools," she said.

These partnerships are part of a family care center that offers care services primarily to students from the ages of 5-21, although they can expand past those boundaries if the patient is a student or family member of a district family. “The state provides funding to treat ages 5-21 for comprehensive primary care and behavioral health needs,” Forsmark explained.

The services include physicals, wellness checks, immunizations, bloodwork and really anything that a doctor’s office can provide for a child. Forsmark said they would be able to do all of those services for students right on site, which will be right in the district. Forsmark explained that this would be in addition to a regular school nurse, who can continue to handle the headaches, stomach aches, cuts and scrapes that students get on the regular. The nurses employed by the school district would also be the ones to store, handle and administer any medication to students, following the protocol currently in place. The clinic would be able to help students who come down with something more serious, who don’t have regular access to a primary care provider, or who have a chronic condition that requires more close monitoring.

Forsmark stressed that they are not “family planning clinics. We do prescribe contraceptives on school property, we do not dispense condoms, we do not do any type of abortion counseling.” They also don’t do drug screening as they are not intended as a punitive service, although they can offer support if the school has an existing plan with a student who has made such offenses.

The proposed location is the building currently occupied by the health department, directly across the street from the Pinconning Middle school high school campus. They are currently planning their services and support by working with parents and community members through surveys and are looking to open in early 2024.