RAHC Also Expanding Telehealth
Buena Vista City Public Schools will move forward with plans to bring a school-based health center to its new combined middle and high school, following a recent vote by the School Board.
The Board approved a memorandum of understanding with Rockbridge Area Health Center, which operates similar clinics in Rockbridge County schools.
The proposed center at Parry McCluer High School would provide on-site medical care for students and staff, with services expected to begin after space inside the school is finalized and the clinic is built out.
“We’re really at the point where once we have a dedicated space, we can move forward,” said Brian Pins, associate director of operations for Rockbridge Area Health Center. “Then it’s building it out, getting the word out in the community, and making sure all the paperwork is in place so we can start seeing students.”
Rockbridge Area Health Center currently operates school-based clinics at Rockbridge County High School and Maury River Middle School. Pins said the program is nearing the end of its second full year, with behavioral health services in place even longer.
“The high school is greatly exceeding our expectations,” Pins said.
The Buena Vista clinic would serve both middle and high school students at the combined Parry McCluer campus. Families from other schools could also access services by bringing students to the site, Pins said.
The question of who would be able to access the clinic drew some discussion at the March Buena Vista School Board meeting, where a Board member raised concerns about the possibility of outside community members entering school buildings for care.
Superintendent Heather Ault reassured the Board that any parents or visitors accessing the clinic would be required to follow the division’s existing security protocols.
“This includes checking in through our electronic system, which verifies identification and screens against the sex offender registry,” Ault said in an email to The News-Gazette. “In addition, our school security cameras utilize facial recognition technology to identify individuals on school property who are on the registry.”
Ault said the clinic will be located within the school’s main office, limiting access within the building and allowing for close coordination with the school nurse.
School-based health centers function as fully operational medical clinics located within schools, offering services such as sick visits, physicals, vaccinations and behavioral health counseling. The model is designed to reduce barriers to care, allowing students to be treated without leaving campus and helping parents avoid missing work. Student care is provided with parent or guardian consent, and the centers are staffed by licensed medical providers and behavioral health professionals.
Pins said that this approach has proven especially useful for routine needs like sports physicals and required vaccinations, which can otherwise delay student participation in activities.
Beyond traditional clinics, Rockbridge Area Health Center is also expanding telehealth services in local elementary schools using a system known as TYTO Care.
The technology allows providers to remotely examine students using diagnostic tools operated by a school nurse, while parents can join the visit virtually. Devices are already in use at Mountain View Elementary School and are being prepared for Natural Bridge Elementary.
Rather than placing full-time providers in smaller elementary schools, Pins said telehealth offers a more efficient way to extend care.
“It’s a great way we can meet the need without having a provider sitting there full time,” he said.
The concept of schoolbased health care is not new, though it is still expanding in the region. Pins noted that some states, such as Delaware, require health centers in high schools.
Locally, he said, the focus remains on increasing access.
“It’s just such a great way where we can give access to kids,” Pins said. “That’s the biggest thing: making sure they have what they need.”
