Good things really do come in threes. At the recent BASA Fall Conference, Shelby City Schools, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Garmann Miller came together to present, “Partners in Health: How School-based Health Centers Prioritize Student Health and Well-Being.” The session, presented at the Hilton Columbus/Polaris, featured Michael Browning, Shelby’s superintendent; Mary Kay Irwin, senior director of school health services and Theresa Hatton, strategic initiative manager at Nationwide; and Brian Wolf, designer and project executive at GM.
The program showcased the unique partnership between these organizations and how they worked together to create an innovative school-based health center (SBHC) at Shelby City Schools. Browning opened the discussion by sharing how his district identified healthcare disparities among its students, which led them to explore the concept of SBHCs. After doing some homework on the subject, Shelby representatives connected with Nationwide to initiate the project, applying for a capital grant to fund the center.
Nationwide provided critical healthcare expertise and operational support, while Garmann Miller played a key role in the center’s design. Wolf discussed the architectural considerations, emphasizing the importance of integrating healthcare services within the school’s physical environment to maximize accessibility for students and the community (members ages 0-21).
“It’s been a rewarding partnership with the district and Nationwide to design a space that not only serves immediate healthcare needs but also supports the long-term well-being of students and the Shelby community,” Wolf noted. “It’s such a benefit for kids to have easy access to primary care; students miss less school and parents miss less work.”
Together, the three partners aimed to address non-academic barriers to learning, reduce absenteeism and provide equitable healthcare access. The collaboration has been instrumental in supporting student health and well-being while laying the groundwork for future building expansion.
To learn more, visit https://shelbyk12.org/nationwide-health-center/
Why School Health? Provided by Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Health
- Improved access to care and insurance coverage
- Improved physical and mental health outcomes
- Reduced hospitalizations
- Community members experience optimal health
Academic
- Lower rates of absenteeism
- Fewer disciplinary referrals
- Improved grades and test scores
- Improved classroom management