ROSS COUNTY, Ohio — Adena Health on Thursday dedicated a new school-based health clinic on the Huntington Local Schools campus, giving students and staff in the rural Ross County district on-site access to primary care, immunizations and mental health services.
The new Huntsmen Clinic, named for the district’s mascot, is the latest addition to Adena’s expanding network of school-based health centers, which now spans 12 districts and serves more than 25,000 students and 4,000 staff members across south central and southern Ohio, according to Adena.
“At Adena Health, our mission regarding school-based health is simple: Keeping care close to home,” Adena President and CEO Kathi Edrington said in a statement. “We know when students are healthy, they’re more likely to attend class, stay focused, and succeed. That’s why we’re so proud to partner with the Huntington Local School District to open a clinic that brings quality care directly to them.”
Working alongside families and the school nurse, the clinic will offer chronic condition management for issues such as asthma and diabetes, immunizations, mental health services, physicals, and primary and preventive care, according to Adena.
Huntington Local Schools Superintendent Pete Ruby said in a statement that the clinic removes a barrier many families face in getting routine care.
“We know access to care can sometimes be challenging, and this clinic helps change that,” Ruby said. “We are creating an environment where taking care of your health doesn’t have to wait until later, it can become part of our students’ everyday success.”
The Huntington clinic is one of five school-based health centers built with support from a 2024 grant from the Appalachian Children’s Health Initiative, administered by Nationwide Children’s Hospital on behalf of the Appalachian Children Coalition. That funding, awarded to expand student health care access across Ross County schools, also supported clinics in the Pickaway-Ross Career and Technology Center, Adena Local, Chillicothe City and Union-Scioto school districts.
The centers are further supported by a federal financial assistance award totaling $408,404, with 76% funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and 24% funded by Ohio State General Revenue Funding, according to Adena.
Adena opened its first school-based clinic in 2019 at Jackson Middle School after two decades of providing athletic training services in area schools, and has continued to add clinics as demand for on-site student care has grown, the health system said.
The information contained in this story was obtained from Adena Health.
