Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. board members are considering a potential grant opportunity creating clinics that would provide health care to students. Some board members were more receptive to the idea, while others were concerned about potential costs and the demand for the clinics when there are potential alternatives already available.
The School-Based Health Clinic grants would enable the creation of an on-site clinic located in a BCSC building and a mobile unit.
The plan would be to apply for grants for both, starting with the mobile unit until the on-site unit is complete. The clinic would operate during school hours and services include primary care, acute care, sports physicals, immunizations and behavioral health. Students would be released from school and parents would take them to the clinic.
Windrose Health Network CEO Scott Rollett and BCSC Director of Health Services Kelly Thompson detailed the plans to the board. BCSC is partnering with Windrose Health Network, a federally qualified health center, through their work with Columbus Regional Health and Healthy Communities.
Windrose has health centers in Bartholomew County, Hope, Johnson County and the south side of Indianapolis. The organization said 15% of their patients last year came from Bartholomew County and 53% of patients were at or below the federal poverty level. Windrose also was a gold star recipient in 2023 for quality, placing them in the top 10% of FQACs, according to Rollett.
Thompson said the health clinics would align with BCSC’s Strategic Plan, particularly under “Excellence & High Expectations” and “Healthy, Safe, and Welcoming Environments.”
“We know that access to care is a need in many of our schools by the work we do in those buildings.”
Thompson was a part of two teams who visited similar clinics in northeast Indiana and high schools in New Albany.
The funding would come through Health Resource Services Administration grants, which Rollett expects will be available sometime this year.
“(The grants) would fund the greatest majority of the expenses and the rest of the funding would come from patient services revenues,” Rollett said. “In other words, we would bill patients for services and that would basically comprise our entire budget.”
Windrose would receive the grant funding for staffing and operations with BCSC as its partner. If the grants are approved, BCSC would be responsible for providing the physical space, custodial services and utilities for the clinic. WindRose manages billing, budget, equipment, medical records, and staffing.
Rollett told the board that staffing would consist of three people — a nurse practitioner, medical assistant and administrative assistant.
The location of the on-site clinic will be determined based upon the location that would save the greatest need, Superintendent Jim Roberts said.
“We’d be looking to identify those with that largest gap of not accessing care. We have building that are in more need or greater need than others,” Rollett said.
Although he was unclear on when exactly the grants would become available — Rollett believes HSRA is waiting for Congress to pass the federal budget — he estimated it’d likely be sometime in the spring and they would be awarded in September. Once the grants are awarded, the health clinic would have 120 days to become operational.
“I think as soon as Congress comes to an arrangement, we’ll have notice of that funding award, but as of today there isn’t one,” Rollett said.
District 6 Board Member Logan Schulz wondered whether there would be cost for services and a sliding scale for those that are economically disadvantaged.
“We have the sliding fee scale available to all our patients. It’s based on the federal poverty guidelines that goes from 100% at the federal poverty level all the way up to 200%, and basically it kind of slides off our charges. The vast majority of our patients are at what we call the minimum pay category, which means that they’re seen for $20,” Rollett said.
When asked how the partnership with Windrose would align with the CRH partnership, Rollett said they don’t necessarily view themselves at competitors with CRH and some staff would have access to CRH’s medical records.
“So again, it’s not perfect, but I feel like we work pretty well together for the mutual benefit of our patients.”
Schulz was concerned about the potential cost BCSC would incur once the grants expire, but Rollett said the initial grant application of 24 months would likely be ongoing. Typically, if the clinics demonstrate success, they are funded again.
Bartholomew County already has several options for health care, Schulz said, with six urgent care clinics and at least four pediatric offices.
“I’m just trying to understand what’s the opportunity of the solution that the other parallel paths aren’t providing already to the community?”
Thompson said that while there are other options, plenty students still aren’t receiving quality care. That could be because of a lack of sustained relationships or transportation barriers.
Still, Schulz thought gauging demand for such a clinic would be prudent.
“I think the gap that I’m seeing here is that you need a needs assessment that show that you’re more accessible than the others,” he said.
He was in favor of the mobile unit, but more unsure about the necessity of the on-site clinic.
“There is a question about access to care that is asked in the community health needs assessment that the hospital and Healthy Communities does every three years, so the data is there,” Thompson said.
District 1 Board Member Jason Major also wasn’t sold on the idea, saying he was apprehensive about the potential cost and referring to the clinics as, “a bit of scope creep.”
“I think you will not only hear from me as a concern, but you’ll hear from people in the public in general with primary care, acute care, sports physicals, immunizations and behavioral health that I understand the importance to try and help, but those are really parental concerns for a child, there are areas where they can go to get that expertise outside of a school,” Major said.
Board President Nicole Wheeldon, on the other hand, thought if the clinics meant more students could receive health care, they might as well try.
“If it’s one of those things that we don’t get a lot of visits, then maybe it’s true and everybody already has their needs fulfilled and we try something different, but I appreciate that we are looking at ways to try to meet needs.”
