Eastern Student Kyle Berry with Nurse April Houk
The Eastern Brown Local Schools and the Federally Qualified Health Center, PrimaryPlus, are excited to partner to offer school-based health services via telemedicine to their students and faculty. The program is being piloted for the remainder of the school year but will launch in full capacity for the 2021-22 school year.
“We are very excited to be partnering with Primary Plus to provide school-based telemedicine to our students and staff! In rural America, we are often faced with a lack of convenient quality health care. School-based telemedicine fills that void,” states Dr. Michele Filon, Superintendent of Eastern Local Schools.
PrimaryPlus offers a network of over 10 primary care centers throughout the Ohio River Valley and just recently celebrated its one-year anniversary of its school-based health center that is located in the Ripley Union Lewis Huntington (RULH) schools. PrimaryPlus-Ripley features the care of Family Health Nurse Practitioner, Carissa Kirk, APRN.
PrimaryPlus will work closely with Eastern Brown’s school nurses to provide care during school hours, as an extension of PrimaryPlus-Ripley. Carissa Kirk, APRN will connect with the nurses virtually to see and assess the patient. The goal is to provide a convenient, yet quality healthcare evaluation upon parental consent when a child has any minor sickness such as earache, throat infection, eye infection, skin irritation, cold, runny nose, etc. PrimaryPlus has purchased advanced telemedicine equipment that uses specialty cameras and stethoscopes that the school nurse will use to allow the medical provider to see inside the ears, throat, nose, eyes, etc. plus get a blood pressure reading, pulse reading and hear heart/chest sounds—all in real time via the secure conference call.
This partnership and program with Eastern Brown Local Schools is here to be an added resource to parents and IS NOT designed to replace a child’s pediatrician or routine medical provider. A memo showcasing the program in greater detail were sent home with Eastern Brown students this week and further details and information will be provided at the start of the next school year, as well. “We are excited for this opportunity to share our mission of quality, advanced, affordable healthcare with Eastern Brown Local Schools! It has been an honor working with school district—together, we want to ensure happy, healthy kids,” states Jerry Ugrin, CEO of PrimaryPlus.
PrimaryPlus-Ripley featuring Carissa Kirk, APRN, is a school-based health center that was opened in May of 2020 in conjunction with Interact for Health and the Ripley Union Lewis Huntington school district. The Ripley office is located on the Catherine St. side of RULH Elementary, offering a community entrance. Although, PrimaryPlus-Ripley is located in the school it is OPEN year-round for the ENTIRE community (all ages) to have access to a full range of primary care services including annual exams, immunizations, school/sports physicals, colds, flu, stomach issues, high blood pressure, diabetes, other chronic health, rashes, etc. PrimaryPlus-Ripley is Always Welcoming New Patients. To schedule or for more information about PrimaryPlus-Ripley call 937-744-4343.
PrimaryPlus accepts most commercial insurances, OH Medicaid (CareSource & Molina), Medicare and offers a sliding fee scale that can provide up to a 75% discount on care for those that are uninsured or underinsured. PrimaryPlus-Ripley now offers counseling services with Gary Zornes, LCSW. Learn more at www.primaryplus.net.
