KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Shawnee Mission School District will open a school-based health clinic Thursday at Shawnee Mission West High School for students and their siblings between 3 and 20 years old.
“The idea is to break down barriers to health care,” Shelby Rebeck, SMSD health services director, said in a news release. “Barriers for many of our students include low income, lack of knowledge, lack of transportation and parents’/guardians’ inability to take time away from hourly jobs.”
The Health Partnership Clinic will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Thursday when school is in session, according to the release.
Students and their siblings will have access to "primary and preventative health care, chronic disease management, mental health services and dental care," according to the release. The clinic also will offer COVID-19 vaccines for eligible pediatric patients.
Steve Loe, Shawnee Mission West High School principal, said in the release that the clinic is an example of "how two organizations can come together to help improve the lives of children."
“The school-based health clinic will greatly expand the resources of our school nurse and social worker and help support our goal to have every student succeed,” Loe said.
Most insurance plans, including KanCare/Medicaid, will be accepted, and the clinic will offer a "sliding-fee discount program" based on the patient's income and household size, the release stated. All fees will be waived for students experiencing homelessness.
The clinic's services are available in person and virtually and will be located across from the nurse's office at the high school.
The services offered at the clinic are:
- Physical exams.
- Sports physicals.
- Immunizations.
- COVID-19 testing.
- Age-appropriate health screenings.
- Preventative education.
- Referrals to specialty services.
- Sick visits.
- Management of acute and chronic problems and mental health services.
- Dental care (screenings, fluorides and restorative care).
