Community welcome at new Mercy Health center at Clermont Northeastern High School

© Provided
Shane Knisley, president of Mercy Health – Clermont Hospital, speaks to a socially distanced audience at a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new health center at Clermont Northeastern High School.

Mercy Health – Cincinnati has opened a health center at Clermont Northeastern High School near Batavia.

It’s the sixth school-based center established by Mercy Health.

And it’s one of three centers that will be open year-round and serve community members in addition to students and staff at the schools, Mercy Health spokeswoman Nanette Bentley said in an email to The Enquirer.

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The health center at Clermont Northeastern High School at 5327 Hutchinson Road in Stonelick Township has three exam rooms and will employ a full-time nurse practitioner and medical assistant, according to a Mercy Health press release.

The center will provide primary care, prescription, immunization and mental-health services as well as a certified athletic trainer and a physician for student athletes in the Clermont Northeastern Schools.

Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Appointments are not required, but you can make one by calling 513-981-4170.

© Provided
Here’s a look inside the new Mercy Health center at Clermont Northeastern High School.

The other five schools with Mercy Health centers that serve students and staff are the Little Miami Intermediate School in Hamilton Township near Maineville, Mt. Washington School, Pleasant Hill Academy in College Hill, Sayler Park School and Silverton Paideia Academy.

Like the health center at Clermont Northeastern High School, the centers at Little Miami Intermediate School and Sayler Park School are open year-round and also serve community members, Bentley said.

Nurse practitioners at Mercy Health’s school-based health centers see hundreds of students and staff members each school year, treating, most commonly, asthma, migraines, stomach aches and upper respiratory issues, Mercy Health said in its press release.

“When you feel sick, it’s hard to focus on learning and when you miss school, it’s easy to fall behind. Mercy Health’s school-based health centers treat kids on the spot, which helps minimize the impact of illness so that students can return to class and continue learning,” Clermont Northeastern Schools District Nurse Lori Diekmann said in the release.

‘Our aim is to help keep kids healthy’

Shane Knisley, president of Mercy Health – Clermont Hospital in Batavia Township, said in the release that school-based health centers can bridge the gap in communities where families struggle to access the healthcare they need.

“As a mission-based organization, we share our resources to help keep children and the teachers and staff who care for them well. Our aim is to help keep kids healthy because healthy kids stay in school and do better in their studies,” Knisley said.

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Community welcome at new Mercy Health center at Clermont Northeastern High School