Aultman Orrville Claymont Health Center breaks ground
Claymont High School’s Voltage Choir sang the national anthem to open the ceremony. Claymont School Board members are standing behind them.
Officials held a groundbreaking ceremony March 31 at Claymont High School in Uhrichsville for the new Aultman Orrville Claymont Health Center. The center was supported by a grant from the new Appalachian Children’s Health Initiative, which provided more than $64 million in funding to support the creation or expansion of community and school-based health clinics and more.
The groundbreaking program featured the Claymont High School Voltage group singing the national anthem to start the ceremony.
Claymont City Schools Superintendent Brian Rentsch is pleased the project has gotten to this point. They received a $1.896 million grant to build the new facility, which will be attached to the high school.
“We have a shared excitement. It marks the beginning of something truly transformative for our students in our community. Today, we break ground, not just on a building, but on a promise, a promise to nurture the health and well-being of our children, the foundation of our future,” Rentsch said. “We are here to celebrate the start of a school-based health center, a place where students will find support, care and resources they need to thrive.”
According to Rentsch, barriers to health care have stood in the way of students reaching their full potential. The barriers could be transportation, scheduling conflicts or simply the lack of accessible services, but they have hindered students’ academic success and overall well-being.
“This health center will help dismantle those barriers,” Rentsch said. “Imagine a place where you can have vital access to services like primary checkups and immunizations, mental health counseling and support, nutritional guidance and health education, and so much more.”
The health center will provide health care to the students and staff at Claymont High School and the community as well.
One guest speaker highlighted the commitment of Aultman to the communities it serves.
“Together with Claymont City Schools, they are creating a critical access point for much needed care,” said Mary Kay Irwin, senior director of school health, Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “They’re obviously already partners, but through this expansion, it’s going to enable them to improve both health and academic outcomes in new and unique ways.”
Easier access to health care will yield positive results.
“When partners come together in this way, we see improvement in things like chronic absenteeism, a reduction in discipline rates and a decreased need for substitute teachers. Imagine a teacher who can walk down the hall to get her labs done. She doesn’t have to call in for a substitute,” Irvin said. “We also see more people engaging in preventative care, which means that they live longer, healthier lives, and we see improved chronic disease management.”
A flyer distributed at the ceremony contained information on how the center will operate once it opens. Plans are to initially have the center open Mondays and Wednesdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The services it will provide include wellness exams, same-day sick appointments, sports physicals, chronic condition care and immunizations.
Students should contact school nurses to ask them to send them to the clinic for a same-day sick appointment. A parent or guardian can be present for the appointment, or they may participate virtually. The health center will not provide any services to a student without parent/guardian consent to treat.
The health center accepts most insurances, and insurance will be billed for visits.
The health center is another building block that can lead to success.
“Let us work together and ensure that every student has an opportunity to flourish, both inside and outside the classroom,” Rentsch said.