Bibb County Schools OK nearly $1m grant for third health clinic. See where

Plans for a third school-based health center in the Bibb County School District are already underway, just days after the district celebrated the opening of its second facility.

The Bibb County Board of Education voted unanimously last week to approve a $998,277 grant to build a school-based health center at L.H. Williams Elementary School. The new center will expand access to health care for students, families and staff in the district.

The grant, awarded by the Georgia Department of Education’s Office of Whole Child, is designed to address students’ medical, behavioral, dental and vision needs in schools. The school-based model aims to reduce barriers such as transportation, accessibility and cost — challenges that often prevent children and families from accessing care in underserved communities.

“Health care services will be provided by First Choice Primary Care to deliver comprehensive care to the students, families, and staff of L.H. Williams Elementary,” BCSD Deputy Superintendent Katika Lovett said at the district’s most recent board meeting.

Similar to the district’s other two school-based health centers, a partnership with local nonprofit First Choice Primary Care will support student well-being by offering on-site medical services.

First Choice Primary Care CEO Katherine McLeod said school sites are selected based on several factors, including Title I status, available space, proximity to families and the number of students with chronic health conditions.

Health care services at the new center will include well-child visits, prescription deliveries, sports physicals, and a full-time nurse practitioner to diagnosis and treat common conditions such as diabetes and strep throat, McLeod added. Behavioral health services are also planned to be added in the fall, further expanding the center’s reach beyond physical health care, McLeod said.

This marks the third such facility in the district and represents a growing partnership between healthcare providers and local schools. McLeod said she’s excited about the continued collaboration with the district and the opportunity to foster deeper community engagement.

“Our first school-based health center has been at Ingram-Pye Elementary for 10 years, but it is not inside the school,” McLeod said. “It’s a modular building sitting on the school ground.

“So this will be different being inside the school, and it will make it easier for us to really be part of the school family and culture,” McLeod said, referring to the new clinic inside Bruce Elementary and the one planned at L.H. Williams. “That’s been a challenge at Ingram-Pye, particularly during and after COVID. With so many staff and family changes in a school, they don’t always understand what it is we can do and how we can help them.”

Primary care services at the upcoming L.H. Williams clinic will be available to students, their families and school staff, including cafeteria workers and bus drivers, McLeod said.

District officials have not announced a timeline for when construction will begin.