Union Community Care pitches school-based health center to Middletown Area SD board; no vote tonight

Union Community Care, presented to the Middletown Area SD board on an informational basis, outlined plans for a school-based health center at the district's new campus and described how the center would operate, be funded and protect student health records.

The center's CEO, Alyssa Jones, told the board the organization operates 26 brick-and-mortar sites and six school-based health centers across its region and serves "over 55,000 unique patients and over 200,000 visits per year." Jones said the school-based model provides primary care, behavioral health, vaccines and a proposed public-health dental hygiene operatory. "There is no cost to the school district," Jones said, describing a memorandum of understanding in which the center bills insurance and uses sliding fees for uninsured patients.

Board members asked how the center would handle parental consent and medical privacy; Jones said the center would require parental consent for school-based services, that records would be kept in an electronic health record separate from school records and that it would follow HIPAA protections. "So by law, no one can access those records that don't have a business reason," Jones said, describing separation between the center's health records and the school's systems.

Members discussed whether services would be limited to district students or expanded to family and community members. District and center speakers proposed a phased approach: "start with just our community and staff and maybe the parents of our students and then open it larger," one board member said. Board members and staff repeatedly emphasized campus security, entry controls and response protocols for incidents if community members access the site; the presenters said the proposed space would have an external entrance, buzzer/swipe access and that security terms would be included in the MOU.

Board members also pressed on how a school-based center might affect attendance and illness spread. Jones and district staff said communicable illnesses should remain at home and cited examples where school-based centers reduced absenteeism for asthma and dental pain. The superintendent said a separation clause would be included in any MOU allowing the district to reclaim space if enrollment or instructional needs changed.

Doctor Hunter described the presentation as informational and said the board would not vote on the proposal tonight. The presentation concluded with the board requesting additional details about operations, capacity, security measures, and the draft MOU before any formal action.

Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes (02/17/2026): motion carried by voice vote. - Paid bills (totals by fund): motion carried by voice vote. - Unpaid bills (totals by fund): motion carried by voice vote. - Contract with Approved Code Services for electrical plan review and inspections (Reid Elementary renovation) at $1,875: motion carried by voice vote. - Multiple consent agenda motions (personnel, academic, operations and athletics immediate items): motions carried by voice votes. - Facility use requests: approved with exception; the board declined the request from Central Penn Parana, per athletic director recommendation.

What happens next The board requested further details on operational hours, community access parameters, security plans and the draft MOU. Union Community Care and district staff said they will return with more specifics for board consideration at a later meeting.

Attributions: Quotes and attributions in this article appear in the transcript and are attributed to named or role-identified speakers in the meeting record (Alyssa Jones, CEO; Doctor Hunter, superintendent; chair).