School-based health center open at SHS | News, Sports, Jobs

EXPANDED SERVICE — Melissa Crabtree is a nurse practitioner at the school-based health center at Steubenville High School. — Contributed

STEUBENVILLE — The Steubenville City School District has updated facilities to ensure its students remain healthy.

CHANGE Inc. has a school-based health center available at the Pugliese STEM Academy, which is located next to Steubenville High School at 611 N. Fourth St., and affords students opportunities to obtain care. It operates weekdays from 7:30 a.m to 3:30 p.m. and accepts walk-ins and appointments, and students may receive primary care to dental and mental health services.

“We’ve been with the district since 2020 and were located on the first floor in the high school, then we moved to the Pugliese STEM building,” said nurse practitioner Melissa Crabtree. “We currently provide the same services with the dental clinic just being added.”

She added that the center offers private exam rooms, larger space and a lab area and health services are available throughout the district.

“We also have a health center at Harding Middle School where providers travel to the elementary schools, or they can go to the high school,” she continued.

The center’s staff at SHS includes medical assistant Angela Staffilino and licensed therapist Mikayla Zias, and facilities are available throughout the summer but closed during major holidays. Primary care offered includes same-day urgent care, sports physicals, well-child visits, immunizations, flu vaccines, prescription medications, health education and counseling, and fitness and nutrition education. Dental health services, which are currently provided on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. by appointment, range from oral screenings to education and preventative care, while mental health services include anger management, anxiety, crisis intervention, childhood behavior and academic problems, depression, family conflict, grief counseling, therapy, medication management, sleep problems and substance abuse.

Parental consent forms are available at the center and through the school to enroll students and provide information such as health conditions, medications, allergies, contact information, insurance information and the student’s medical home. The forms should be completed and returned to the school to help the child access needed services. Should the child already have a primary care provider, the center staff will supplement the care and communicate with the provider if necessary to ensure the child receives the best care possible in and out of school. For students without a personal care provider, then the health center or Family Medical Care may be their medical home.

The centers are funded through third-party insurance companies, Medicaid, grants and public funds and no student will be denied services due to an inability to pay. However, the center’s funds only cover a portion of the cost. Students with insurance can be billed to help pay for services, and if a family does not have health insurance or doesn’t provide insurance information, they can be assessed to see if they qualify for discounted health services.

CHANGE Inc. operates 10 school-based health centers in school districts throughout Jefferson, Hancock and Brooke counties. For information or to make an appointment, call (740) 284-5712.