Chesapeake Health Care, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), was recently awarded a two-year, $300,000 grant from the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission to establish a School-Based Health Center at Washington High School in Somerset County, Maryland.
Salisbury, MD (September 15, 2021) — Thanks to a generous grant from the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission (CHRC), Chesapeake Health Care is pleased to announce the opening of a new School-Based Health Center (SBHC) located in Washington High School in Princess Anne, Maryland. This SBHC will provide health services for all of Somerset County’s Public School system. The SBHC medical providers can diagnose and treat many common health conditions right on-site, as well as provide telehealth services to the other schools in the county.
One of the goals of this SBHC in Princess Anne is to provide easily accessible health care directly at the school to help remove the barriers to regular medical care. “When students don’t have to miss school due to a minor illness, it allows them to focus more on learning,” said Brian Holland, CEO of Chesapeake Health care. “We believe that the opening of this health center is especially important right now so that we can support the Somerset County community as students and teachers are returning to in-school learning.”
“The Commission is delighted to support the opening of the new School-Based Health Center in Princess Anne,” commented Mark Luckner, CHRC Executive Director. “This program will help expand access to important health services in Somerset County and we look forward to working with Chesapeake Health Care in the coming weeks and months as they implement this program.”
School-based health centers are exactly what the name implies: the center of health in the schools where they are based. School faculty members and students and their families rely on school-based health centers to meet their needs for a full range of age-appropriate health care services. Services are provided at no or low cost, but no one is refused health care for inability to pay. SBHCs aim to create a healthier and more focused student body.
Dr. John B. Gaddis, Somerset County Public Schools’ Superintendent, is grateful for the partnership with Chesapeake Health Care. “We are excited to have the School-Based Center back at Washington High School. Chesapeake Health has been a great partner and together our goal is to improve the health and well-being of our community,” said Dr. Gaddis. “This center is a great resource to our school system as a whole!”
The SBHC offers an array of health services to keep students healthy and keep them in school and ready to learn. Students and faculty can be treated for acute illnesses, such as flu and sore throat, and chronic conditions, including asthma and diabetes. Students can also schedule sports and school physicals and receive primary medical care if they do not have a Primary Care Provider. Students can also receive counseling on healthy nutritional habits, and how to prevent injury, violence, and other threats.
Senator Mary Beth Carozza, who represents Somerset County and is a member of the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee, has been a longtime supporter of Chesapeake Health Care and its mission of providing affordable and accessible health care to the Lower Eastern Shore community. She said, “It takes a lot of hard work to set up these health services in our schools, and I want to thank the team at Chesapeake Health Care for their commitment to providing quality health services for our Somerset County youth. These school-based health services play a key role in keeping our youth healthy and in school, and I am excited about this partnership between Somerset County schools and Chesapeake Health Care. I also want to thank the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission members who consistently have awarded grants for quality health care services on the Shore.”
Senator Addie Eckardt, a member of the Maryland State Senate representing Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot, and Wicomico Counties, retired as a full-time Psychiatric-Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist after 30 years. She said, “I am most appreciative of the partnership between Chesapeake Health Care and the Somerset County Schools in their commitment to students’ health in the county through a School-Based Health Center. These services provided by nurse practitioners and others are critical in the promotion of health and prevention of illness in teen populations.”
Chesapeake Health Care’s licensed healthcare provider, Michele McIntosh, DNP, FNP-C will be staffing the SBHC at Washington High School from 8 AM – 4:30 PM on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. McIntosh is a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and has practiced at Chesapeake Health care since 2019 in pediatrics. “I’m excited to serve the Somerset County community as a school-based healthcare provider. My goal is to help improve the health of Somerset County youth and promote healthy practices.”
For more information on SBHCs or to make an appointment, please call 410-651-4040, or online at www.ChesapeakeHC.org.
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About Chesapeake Health Care
Founded in 1994, Chesapeake Health Care is a Federally Qualified Health Center and is the second-largest community-based health care center in Maryland. We serve the communities of Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties. Chesapeake Health Care has 13 locations, and more than 100 providers on staff to provide health care to the region’s patients in the following disciplines: Adult and Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mental Health, Dental, and Pharmacy. We serve those who have limited access to healthcare, although all are welcome. A Sliding Fee Scale program is available to assist eligible patients with healthcare payments. For more information about Chesapeake Health Care visit www.ChesapeakeHC.org.
About Maryland Community Health Resource Commission
The Maryland Community Health Resources Commission (CHRC) was created by the Maryland General Assembly in 2005 to expand access to health care services in underserved communities in Maryland. The CHRC is an independent commission operating within the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), whose 11 members are appointed by the Governor. Since its inception, the CHRC has awarded 347 grants totaling $85.9 million, supporting programs in every jurisdiction of the state. These programs have collectively served more than 504,000 Marylanders, and grants awarded by the CHRC have enabled grantees to leverage $31.8 million in additional federal and private/non-profit resources.
