Floyd Primary Care is helping students to stay healthy in Polk School District
Shannon Cofield had one of those mornings recently when she woke up not feeling her best, but not so bad that she felt like she needed to take a day off from work.
As a health science teacher in the Polk School District, Cofield knew the burden her absence would cause.
It would mean a scramble to find a last-minute substitute and a missed learning opportunity for her students. Thankfully, because of a partnership between Floyd Primary Care and Polk School District, Cofield was able to see a health care provider without having to sacrifice a sick day.
Floyd Primary Care at Polk School District opened in October, providing treatment to teachers and students, along with the opportunity to complete annual wellness visits. The clinic is a coordinated effort between Polk Medical Center, Floyd Primary Care network and Floyd Corporate Health and was introduced as part of the Live Well Polk! initiative.
The clinic is currently operating at Rockmart Middle School, having opened at Cedartown Middle School. It will move to Rockmart High School in March and will close out the school year at Cedartown High School. Beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, the clinic will rotate through each of the 10 schools in the Polk School District, spending roughly a month at each.
“We recognize that one of the biggest challenges our community faces when it comes to health care is access,” said Tifani Kinard, Administrator and Chief Nursing Officer for Polk Medical Center. “For many in our community, taking a child for an annual checkup means lost wages. We want to do everything we can to remove that barrier.”
Health care costs provide another challenge, but one that should not be a concern for most who participate in this program.
“Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance carriers, including Medicaid and PeachCare, are required to cover preventive wellness visits at no out-ofpocket cost so it’s likely that there will be no cost for the majority of these patients,” said Chris Butler, Director of Corporate Health for Floyd. “Those who are not covered by any type of insurance should let us know so we can talk about what options are available.”
The wellness visits are open to those students who have not seen a physician within the last two years.
“Our data shows that most students stop seeing a physician annually around the age of eleven,” Butler said. “Our goal is to provide these important checkups for those individuals. Those who currently have a family physician or pediatrician should continue to see that doctor.”
School staff and faculty, like Cofield, are also making good use of the clinic.
“We’re thrilled to also offer this service to Polk school employees who don’t have a current physician relationship,” Butler said. “We accommodate these folks by scheduling appointments before or after school or during their allotted breaks.”
Cofield is grateful to have access to immediate acute care and sees it as a definite value for her and her co-workers.
“The opportunity to be seen at our school clinic was such a wonderful benefit,” she said. “I was able to be assessed right away and have it confirmed that I had nothing contagious. I received treatment and went immediately back to the classroom without having to miss work, avoiding a burden for my students and the school system.”
Kinard pointed out that programs like this are part of the health care system’s mission.
“We launched Live Well Polk! because we understand the health challenges our community faces,” she said. “If we can help students avoid some of these issues by providing opportunities for care at a younger age, we’re doing our job well.”
Kinard does not believe the mission should be limited by location and instead sees the clinic as a chance to offer care where there is a need.
“We are thankful for every occasion we have to take care of people in Polk County,” she said. “Our goal is to be the community’s primary connection to wellness, even when there isn’t the need to visit Polk Medical Center.”
An information packet about the clinic was emailed to Polk School District families and was also sent home with students. Parents and guardians who are interested in having a wellness check scheduled at the clinic should fill out the form and return it to the school.