Lake County Health Department reports higher use of school‑based health center; board seeks more service data

Representatives from the Lake County Health Department updated the Round Lake Area Board of Education on Dec. 8 about services and utilization at the district’s school‑based health center at Round Lake High School.

Practice manager Ally Garner described full‑time staffing (advanced practice nurse and medical assistant), behavioral health available four days a week, and family‑planning services on Tuesdays. Garner said the center coordinates with district nurses and counselors, accepts students with parental consent forms, and conducts outreach via school channels and an automated reminder system. She said encounters have "almost doubled in the last two years," noting nearly 700 behavioral health encounters this year.

Board members asked for more granular data. A board member requested a breakdown of fiscal year '25 visit totals to show what portion of visits involved medication dispensing, sports physicals, or immunizations; Garner said the center can supply those figures and confirmed the center’s fiscal year runs through Nov. 30. Garner also confirmed the health center is Joint Commission certified and operates as a federally qualified health center (FQHC) under county health department auspices.

Administrators said most students seen at the center are covered by Medicaid or managed‑care Medicaid plans; the center bills as a courtesy to commercial insurers where possible and offers a sliding scale for unpaid charges. Trustees asked for a follow‑up presentation with the requested breakdown; staff agreed to return in January with more detailed utilization and service‑type data.

The board thanked the health department for the partnership and asked administration to schedule the follow‑up report during the second meeting in January.