Hope school district gets $500K to start health center

HOPE, Ark.—A $500,000 grant will allow Hope High School to establish a student/ health center on its campus.

The Hope High School campus has been given an endorsement by the Arkansas Department of Education, clearing the way for $500,000 over five years to establish and stabilize operations of the center.

The initial funding of $150,000 for the 2018-19 academic year should be released to the school district this month, said Jerri Clark, the state’s school health services director.

Clark praised the plan the Hope district put together.

“A review committee consisting of representatives from a variety of agencies, background and expertise carefully reviewed each grant based on completion of the application and response to the grant components,” she said. “You are to be commended for the excellent proposal as well as the exceptional site visit.”

Some 150 parents, students, teachers, administrators, and district stakeholders attended the April event in which a team from the Arkansas departments of education and health heard feedback, asked and answered questions, and toured the proposed site of the health center in the former family and consumer sciences “cottage” on the HHS campus.

The notification of the approval was a game changer for the Hope Public Schools, Hope Superintendent Bobby Hart said.

“The committee did a wonderful job in putting the grant together and in handling all the logistics,” Hart said. “Our community supported our plan, our health care providers stepped up, and our students and families will benefit greatly.”

The district sought the grant from the state through the state education department to open and establish operations for the clinic over its first five years of service. Funding for such clinics has been created through a $2 million annual set-aside of tobacco excise tax monies collected by the state. The Hope school district will undertake the cost of continuing operations after the fifth year of service, Hart said.

Renovations to the HHS “cottage” will be undertaken with the first $150,000 of the proposed grant while much of the furnishings and equipment needed for initial operations have been donated by Wadley Regional Medical Center-Hope.

The renovation plan calls for remodeling to provide for a reception area, waiting area, up to five exam rooms, restrooms, offices, laboratory, secured storage, break room and conference room

The health center is designed provide both physical and mental health components including immunizations, wellness visits, athletics physicals, acute care, vision exams, dental exams, health education and training about preventative health.

Partnerships with Dr. Sandra Sooman of Hope, and with Arkansas counseling and Psychodiagnostics will provide professional health services on a regular basis on site.

Plans call for the beginning of operations in 2019, Hart said.