MANSFIELD — A clinic that will provide medical and dental care for high school and middle school students and staff will be in operation next month at Mansfield Senior High School.
Third Street Tyger Care will be operated by Third Street Family Health Services of Mansfield. Senior High Principal Dr. Jose Hernandez sees multiple benefits of having the clinic open inside the school Monday through Friday.
“Good health is essential to the learning process,” he said. “This is an outstanding opportunity for our students in this building. The beauty of it is that they won’t have to miss a lot of time for outside appointments.”
Superintendent Brian Garverick agreed.
“We are very glad to have this partnership with Third Street Family Health Services,” he said. “It will be good for students, good for education and good for the community.”
Katie Hosler, Third Street’s marketing manager, said the clinic will be staffed by a nurse practitioner, a registered nurse and a receptionist. It will provide primary care, preventive care, pediatric care and acute care.
Dental services will be provided on a rotating basis by Andrew Aderman, DDS, and hygienist Theresa Arnett. The dental area will include an exam chair and a portable x-ray unit.
Service will begin soon after Labor Day, said Nicole Williams, Third Street chief operating officer. The clinic will be located in the area of the Freshman Academy on the lower level of the south wing. Initially, the clinic will be open during school hours, 7:35 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.
“We are in the process of setting up the clinic, which will include two private exam rooms,” Williams said. “We won’t see students without an appointment and parents will be notified before a student is referred to the clinic unless there is an emergency. Parents may accompany their children to appointments if they wish.”
The clinic will operate in collaboration with Peggy Sutton, RN, who serves the high school and middle school.
The cost of setting up and operating the clinic will be paid by Third Street. Mansfield City Schools’ only contribution is providing space for the facility.
Third Street, which offers a sliding fee schedule, accepts most insurance, including Medicaid and Medicare.
Dr. Hernandez, noting the district’s 84 percent poverty rate as determined by the number of free and reduced-price lunches, said the clinic will help to fill a void for students who otherwise might not receive medical and dental care. That point also was made by Renda Cline, president of the board of education, when the board approved the agreement with Third Street in June.
Founded in 1994, Third Street is a private, non-profit Federally Qualified Health Center which receives federal grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Primary Health Care.
On its web site, Third Street Family Health Services says it “believes that the health status of the underserved population can be improved by providing accessible, affordable health care for those in need. People utilizing services at Third Street Family Health Services have the right to be treated with dignity regardless of life circumstances…”
Larry Gibbs is a spokesman for Mansfield City Schools.
