Nationwide Children's updates Mount Vernon City School Board on school-based clinic; reports 471 visits last year, seeks higher use

Nationwide Children's Hospital gave the Mount Vernon City School Board an update on its school-based health center at Mount Vernon High School, reporting 471 visits in the last school year and saying the clinic has capacity to serve more students and community members.

Mary Gaderloin, senior director of school health for Nationwide Children's Hospital, told the board the program aims to provide comprehensive primary care for children who lack a routine medical home and to support the district's academic goals by reducing absenteeism and disciplinary incidents. "We are open to anyone and everyone," Gaderloin said, describing the clinic's intention to prioritize Mount Vernon students while remaining available to community children through age 22.

The presentation summarized research and local program data. Gaderloin said a matched-study of schools with and without school-based health centers showed a roughly 3% improvement in attendance where centers exist, and internal analyses showed similar gains when…