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FPS Wellness & Education Clinic at Owl Creek: Giving Students a Head Start on Good Health
The new Fayetteville Public Schools Wellness & Education Clinic at Owl Creek will allow students to get the care they need, right in their school. “We have brought services to where the children are,” says Coordinator Carol Stone, of Coordinated School Health.
Services offered to school-age children, FPS faculty, and staff, will include physicals, vaccines, and screenings, along with health counseling in such areas as nutrition, physical fitness, allergies, smoking prevention, and chronic disease (asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure). Emotional and behavioral counseling are also available, for those having problems with stress management, depression, anxiety, and other issues.
"We will see our students regardless of their ability to pay,” said Stone. Students without health insurance will be able to apply for ARKids First to pay for services. ARKids provides health insurance options for families with different levels of income.
“The clinic will not take the place of the school nurses or school counselors,” said Stone. Rather, “the school nurses and counselors will refer students to us. The Clinic's staff includes a Family practice nurse through a partnership with Community Clinic, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) through a partnership with Ozark Guidance Center, a Registered Nurse (RN), and Administrative Assistant.” said Stone.
A grant through the Arkansas Department of Education, Office of Coordinated School Health and Arkansas Department of Health provided the funding for the center. FPS is one of nine districts in the state of Arkansas awarded this grant. The money comes from Act 180 of 2009 – the Tobacco Excise Tax. The grant is for three years of promised soft money. The center has to become sustainable after that.
Owl Creek School was chosen as the site for the wellness center because it has a wider age-range than most schools (Pre-K through seventh grade), it is close to the Boys & Girls Club where there are more children who could access the facility, and because Owl Creek has a high percentage of underserved children. The location is also close to Asbell and Leverett elementaries, two other schools with high populations of underserved students.
Currently, mental health services are being provided and educational components of the clinic are up and running. Nurse Kelly McKnight is leading an afterschool program called Girls on the Run for students age 8-11 at the Owl Creek School. The goal is to build self-esteem, and to help teach the girls how to get the exercise they need.
“I’ve learned about healthy foods and how you live. I’ve also learned about being respectful and responsible. And I’ve made some friends,” said Talaila, a student in the program.
Research shows that there is a strong relationship between a student’s physical and mental well-being and his or her academic achievement. The wellness clinic’s goal is to help students achieve their full potential, by making it easy for students to receive the services they need.
“I would like to acknowledge the support from the community and from the Fayetteville Public Schools administration,” said Stone. “I may have written the grant, but without that support, this clinic never would have gotten off the ground.”
Contact information of the FPS Wellness & Education Clinic at Owl Creek School:
375 N Rupple Rd, Fayetteville, AR 72704
(479) 718-0285
Click here for more information about the FPS’ Coordinated School Health Initiative.
Click here to visit the Arkansas CSH website.