Otsego Public Schools is proud to be the first district in Allegan County to house an on-site Student Health Center. Otsego’s Superintendent, along with Board of Education members, InterCare Health Network representatives and the community came together Wednesday, November 20, 2024 to cut the ribbon on the new facility, marking the opening of a unique feature to the District. “We are excited to open the student health center to see this become a reality in increased access to care for our students and their families,” says Jeff Haase, Otsego Public Schools Superintendent. “When you review the data from the Community Health Improvement Plan through the Allegan County Health Department, over 70% of our families are leaving Allegan county for pediatric care. With this facility, our families will have this health center for pediatric care close to home.” 

The new center is staffed by a medical professional, social worker, nurse and receptionist and is open 24 hours per week. It has two exam rooms, a triage room, consultation room for mental health services, a lab and office space. There are hours both during the day and evening for immediate needs and preventative care appointments. The center is student-centered, only serving students ages 3-21. 

“It’s difficult for a child to learn when they don’t feel well and it can be difficult for parents to quickly get their child seen when they have to travel so far for care. Now they won’t have to,” says Mark Rollandini, Director of Secondary Instruction who also helped oversee the implementation of this health center. As a former teacher and principal, he’s seen first-hand how even a cold can impact a child’s academic performance. “We’ve seen how an illness can go untreated and impact that student for weeks. The sooner we can help each child feel better, the sooner they can re-engage in their classroom lessons and activities and not fall behind.”

How the center came to be: 
Planning for this facility began In February 2023 when Otsego Public Schools received a Child and Adolescent Health Center Program Planning Grant worth $25,000 from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.  Once approved, an additional $500,000+ in state grants brought the planning to reality. 

What the center provides: 
Otsego’s Student Health Center is a partnership with InterCare promoting the health of children, adolescents, and their families by providing important primary, preventative, and early intervention healthcare services, including:

• primary care
• preventative care
• comprehensive health assessment
• vision and hearing screening
• immunization
• treatment of acute illness
• co-management of chronic illness
• health education
• mental health care

How students are seen?
Students will only be seen by appointment. For well-child appointments, immunizations, consultations, etc., parents can contact the center and make an appointment for their child. For sudden illnesses such as a sore throat, stomach aches, fevers, etc., a staff member will contact the  parent/guardian and assist in making an appointment. Parents will be notified before any appointment is confirmed except for confidential services to mature minors in line with Michigan and Federal law. (See consent form and Michigan Consent Laws documents for additional details on the student health center web page.) Students who attend school outside Otsego have a specific time frame to set appointments in the evening. Students need a signed consent form but families only need to fill it out once, it is not needed for each appointment. 

What outcomes do we hope to see?
As mentioned above, students have trouble learning when they don’t feel their best which can have a lasting impact on their academic progress and performance. Knowing that a majority of our students have to travel outside Allegan County for pediatric appointments, our hope is that students will be able to be seen sooner by a medical professional, feel better sooner, and be able to be at their best in the classroom. 

More information is online at: https://www.otsegops.org/studenthealthcenter