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Charles County presents three name options for Indian Head school‑based health center; clinic set to open late November
Summary
District and county health officials presented three naming choices for the modular clinic at Indian Head Elementary and said the center — led clinically by pediatric nurse practitioner Keisha Vilsaint — is expected to be completed on 11/26/2025 with a grand opening on 12/17/2025. The board will consider the superintendent's naming recommendation at a future meeting.
Charles County Public Schools and the Charles County Department of Health presented three proposed names and operational details for the county's first school‑based health center at Indian Head Elementary during the Oct. 27 board meeting.
Desiree Colvin, registered nurse and school health program manager, and Dr. Diana Abney, Charles County health officer, described the project as a partnership between the school system, the county health department and community stakeholders. "The modular clinic is already on its foundation on the campus of Indian Head Elementary School. Utilities are being connected and finishes are being applied," Colvin said. She told the board the project has an "expected completion date of 11/26/2025" and a grand opening tentatively scheduled for 12/17/2025.
The presentation listed three naming options: (1) Indian Head Elementary School Based Health Center; (2) Dr. Devadat Devadahson School Based Health Center (honoring a former county health officer); and (3) Dr. Charles Drew School Based Health Center. Staff explained a formal name is required to obtain a National Provider Identifier (NPI) and other clinic designations. Colvin said the clinic will be clinically led by pediatric nurse practitioner Keisha Vilsaint and staffed with a nursing assistant and front office support, and will offer primary and acute care, basic laboratory services, physical exams, vaccinations and health education.
Board members asked logistics questions about ownership and billing. District staff replied that Charles County Public Schools will own, maintain and operate the facility and that the clinic will have its own NPI for billing purposes. Staff also said enrollment will begin with Indian Head Elementary students, then expand to neighboring feeder schools and later countywide as capacity and additional sites permit. Dr. Abney emphasized the clinic is intended to increase access to care but not to replace families' primary care providers: "We are not here to replace people's primary care doctor," she said.
The superintendent said the naming recommendation will be on the agenda at a future public meeting for board action; no final name was adopted on Oct. 27.
