SHELBY — Shelby City Schools Superintendent Michael Browning said in 2023 the district’s new health center “will be a cornerstone of health and wellness in our schools and our community.”

Based on numbers presented Monday to the Shelby Board of Education, it seems the facility is serving its purpose.

In December 2023, Nationwide Children’s Hospital opened its school-based health center inside the district’s Board of Education Building, 109 W. Smiley Ave.

**Shelby’s school-based health center features two exam rooms, a waiting area and office space for clinic staff members.** Richland Source file photo. Credit: Hayden Gray

Melisa Oberdier, a nurse practitioner for Nationwide Children’s Hospital, along with nurse Erica Garcia and Matt Moore shared updates Monday with the board regarding statistics of the SBHC since its opening.

Open Monday through Thursdas from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the center has welcomed nearly 800 patients and 1,600 visits since December 2023.

The SBHC is also open on non-major holidays, snow days, delayed starts and throughout the summer.

Available services include, but are not limited to, well-child checkups, sick visits, sports paperwork completion, vaccines, primary care mental health and point-of-care testing, including strep throat and flu, among others.

According to the presentation, SBHCs provide several benefits to school districts, including same or next-day appointments and the ability to recover lost work and school time.

The district asset also helps improve student absenteeism rates, addresses mental health concerns and reduces wait times.

(Below is a PDF copy of the presentation shared to board members Monday by Melisa Oberdier, nurse practitioner, nurse Erica Garcia and Matt Moore from Nationwide Children’s Hospital.)

NCH and Shelby City Schools Partnership Update

SBHC open to surrounding communities

The SBHC was represented in a number of student-engagement activities throughout the school year, including back-to-school open houses, a literacy night and a health education session about vaping.

Shelby’s SBHC is also open to surrounding communities. Children do not have to attend Shelby City Schools to receive care.

The facility has an interior and exterior entrance to accommodate district students, as well as outside visitors.

Patients have been served from Bucyrus, Clear Fork, Crestline, Galion, Lexington, Mansfield, Ontario, Perrysville, Plymouth, Shelby and Willard, according to the presentation.