Charles County board to consider three names for new Indian Head school-based health center

Charles County Public Schools and the Charles County Department of Health on Oct. 27 updated the Board of Education on the county27s first school-based health center at Indian Head Elementary and presented three formal name options for the facility.

The modular clinic is already on its foundation on the campus of Indian Head Elementary School, and "it has an expected completion date of 11/26/2025. The grand opening is currently scheduled for 12/17/2025," Charles County school-health staff told the board. The clinic will offer primary and acute care, limited laboratory services, physical examinations, vaccinations and health education, the district said.

The naming decision matters because the chosen name is required to obtain a National Provider Identifier (NPI) and for official designation by the Maryland Department of Health, presenters said. The three options offered to the board were: Indian Head Elementary School-Based Health Center; a name honoring Dr. Devadahson (identified by presenters as a long-serving Charles County health officer); and a name honoring Dr. Charles Drew.

Desiree Colvin, registered nurse and school-health program manager, described the partnership behind the project and the phased enrollment plan. "The school based health center will be available to all students in the Charles County public schools. We do, however, anticipate a stepwise approach to enrollment and utilization where we advertise enrollment first to Indian Head Elementary School and then increase enrollment and availability to the rest of the county," she said.

Presenters named Keisha Vilsaint as the clinic27s clinical lead (pediatric nurse practitioner) and said the staffing team will include a nursing assistant and front-office staff. County commissioners provided capital funding to construct the modular facility following a 2022 grant request to the Community Health Resources Commission, the presentation said.

Board members asked procedural and operational questions during a public discussion. The superintendent and legal staff clarified that naming a health center follows the district27s facility naming process (not the school-naming procedure) and that the superintendent will make a recommendation to the board for a future public vote. Dr. Diana Abney, Charles County health officer, voiced a preference for the option honoring Dr. Devadahson, citing his decades of service to county public health.

The board did not vote on a name at the Oct. 27 meeting. Superintendent Dr. Navarro said the item will appear on the board agenda at a future public meeting, and the board indicated it plans to consider the recommendation at the November meeting.

Provenance: The naming presentation began at 00:07:18 (presentation introduction) and continued through the Novemberscheduling discussion; key supporting transcript excerpts include the project status and timeline and the three name options provided to the board.

Ending: The board scheduled the formal naming vote for a later public meeting and asked staff to circulate the slides with the three name options in advance of that vote.