Hamilton Schools’ 1st health clinic continues to add patients

Two years after opening Hamilton Schools’ first, on-campus health clinic, officials with the medical facility say it has raised the overall well being of students and their families.

Officials with Primary Health Solutions, which opened the city schools’ first full-service clinic in 2016 at Garfield Middle School recently reported to the Hamilton Board of Education on the status and growth of the site.

The year-round School Based Health Center averages 600 to 700 patients monthly, including students, their parents and other family members, as well as school staffers and their families.

Hamilton is one of only 15 school districts in Ohio to have such a medical facility, which also offers vision care.

“It’s really working hard to address the needs of students and community,” Marc Bellisario, president and CEO of Primary Health Solutions told the school board during a meeting earlier this month.

Stephen Roller, COO and chief clinical officer, told the board the center provided 1,737 medical visits in 2017 and of those 850 were child exams.

Immunizations of students numbered 674, and 1,148 patients received dental care at the health provider’s downtown location.

Roller said vision exams and care were provided to 778 patients and of those nearly 60 percent received corrective lenses.

Bellisario said the center is instrumental in helping student learning through helping student health.

“If a student is having dental pain (or other medical aliment) it’s hard for them to do well in the classroom. And we are open year-round because we really want to it to be a medical home for students and their families,” he said.

Primary Health Solutions also operates Fairfield Schools’ on-campus clinic and one in the newly renovated Middletown High School.

The health center has been so successful, he said, that the Ohio Department of Education has chosen it to be a “peer advisor” for other school districts across the state who are exploring their own campus-based clinics.

School board member Tom Alf praised the update report and said the health care company is “doing an outstanding job.”

“The clinic is certainly making a great and positive difference in our district,” said Alf.

About the Author