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Groveport Madison Board pauses approval of Nationwide Children’s school health MOU, seeks community, legal and financial review
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Summary
Nationwide Children’s Hospital presented a plan for a school-based health clinic offering primary care, behavioral health, dentistry and telepsychiatry. The board voted to treat the memorandum of understanding as a first read only and require community input, a full financial disclosure and legal review before a final vote.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital representatives outlined a proposed partnership with Groveport Madison Local Schools to operate school-based health services including primary care, chronic disease management, behavioral health, restorative dental services and weekly telepsychiatry. The hospital’s presenters said they plan to begin mobile-unit services early next month and aim to see patients in a district clinic by December, with a formal opening in January.
The hospital’s pediatrician, Sarah Denney of Nationwide Children’s Hospital, told the board, “The reason why is because we know there’s a significant number of children who don’t access health care services for a wide number of reasons,” and said the clinics can reconnect families with insurance, provide well-child and sick visits, support chronic-disease management and deliver primary-care mental-health services.
The proposal described both short-term mobile-unit coverage and modest facility changes to convert existing rooms to dental and lab space. Michelle Welsh, Nationwide Children’s School-Based Health Center practice manager, said the program would serve newborns through young adults and would offer restorative dental care on-site, with referral to hospital dental specialists if more extensive procedures (for example, those requiring sedation) are needed.
Board members pressed staff and the hospital on consent, data sharing, transportation, and the status of existing equipment in the clinic space. Denney said routine visits scheduled in advance would use a universal signed consent form distributed digitally (Final Forms), while sick children would require a parent to transport the child to the clinic rather than be moved on school vans. On data-sharing plans, hospital staff said the intent was to use deidentified or aggregate data for evaluation (for example, attendance trends tied to services), and that districts would retain control of what is shared. District legal counsel told the board the hospital’s current proposal described demographic-only data access and not individual student personal information.
Several trustees raised concerns about ownership and future disposition of medical and vision equipment that currently belongs to the district but was purchased with a prior school-based-clinic grant. Trustees requested clear conveyance language, an inventory and dollar values for devices before any final settlement. Board members also asked whether transportation provided to bring students to the clinic would accommodate special-transport needs; district staff said transport would likely be provided by one or more district-owned vans scheduled in advance and staffed with certified drivers, and that accessibility details would be clarified if the board moved forward.
After discussion the board amended the superintendent’s recommendation to receive the Nationwide Children’s agreements as a first read only, and to return the item for a second and final vote after (1) a community meeting for input, (2) a full financial disclosure showing any district costs (transportation, staffing changes or other impacts), and (3) a complete legal review; questions for the superintendent were requested within 72 hours. The amendment motion was made by Board Member Kathy Walsh and seconded by Board Member John Kirschner and passed by roll call.
The board and administration agreed to schedule a community meeting and to conduct targeted outreach (including staff and parent groups and online access) so stakeholders who cannot attend in person can comment. Administration also said it would negotiate timing with Nationwide Children’s legal team to avoid undue delay to construction schedules, and would bring back any revised contract language on equipment conveyance, data sharing and operational responsibilities.
Why this matters: School-based health centers can increase access to primary and dental care, reduce missed school days and provide mental-health services where community access is limited. The board’s request for community input and a legal and financial review reflects trustee concerns about long-term commitments, equipment ownership and student data-sharing protections.
What’s next: Administration will collect legal and financial clarifications, convene a public meeting, and return the item for final consideration at a later board meeting. The hospital and district said they hope to run mobile services while final facility work and contracting are completed.
