Old Town Elementary School held a ribbon cutting on Friday morning to officially open their new comprehensive school health clinic.

For the past two and a half years, school staff and community partners have been working to establish a school health clinic that can provide an elevated standard of care for students throughout Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. Their efforts paid off early this school year, and visitors to the ribbon cutting were impressed by the scale and professional quality the clinic is equipped to provide.

While most school-based health clinics are relatively small, usually about the size of a classroom, Old Town’s is comprised of an entire pod with multiple exam rooms and waiting rooms. It’s staffed full-time with a clinical medical assistant, nurse practitioners, and mental health professionals.

Students from any school in the district are welcome to visit the clinic for general checkups, vaccinations, counseling, and more. Services are provided on a sliding payment scale, meaning many families will be able to receive care completely free of cost.

The district provided the facility itself, but the renovations that turned it into a fully functional health clinic were funded by over $90,000 in donations from local businesses, churches, and community members. It was a whole-community effort to make sure WS/FCS students have more access to the healthcare services they need to stay healthy and stay in school.

For a student to get the most out of their time in school, every minute matters. Missing days of school due to preventable illnesses leads to worse academic outcomes, and the problem is magnified when students come to school sick and risk spreading illnesses. A comprehensive clinic on a school campus is one of the easiest resources a family can access to make sure their children don’t miss out.

“Kids who are served by school-based clinics are in school more than kids who aren’t,” said Dr. Stephanie Daniel from the School Health Alliance for Forsyth County, a key partner in the project at Old Town. “We’re not only helping kids be healthier, but we’re also giving them more opportunities to learn.”

Sam Zivin, Old Town’s school social worker and one of the main organizers behind the clinic, praised everyone who lent their efforts and donations to getting the clinic started. Already this school year, families have been making good use of the clinic’s services, coming in for vaccine appointments and making sure their children don’t have to be excluded from class. It’s been an inspiring project to be a part of, and he’s excited to see the community continue to reap the rewards.

“We’re excited to celebrate this important milestone and the many people who helped make this new resource a reality,” Zivin said. “The community coming together during tough times to meet the needs of students… it's beautiful.”