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York Dispatch: ‘Lifetime of better health’: William Penn High opening primary care health office

A brand new medical clinic will be open at William Penn High School in time for the start of the fall semester.

The clinic, operated by Family First Health, is part of a longstanding relationship between the nonprofit and York City schools to bring accessible healthcare to children. The two-year-long project will come to a head this summer when unused classrooms are transformed into a doctor’s office within the school, said Jenny Englerth, the president and CEO of Family First Health.

“Our focus is really in this project on improving the health of the school and everyone who is in the school every day,” Englerth said. “The school will not be a site open to the public, so that we can really zero in on focusing on improving the health of students, staff and faculty.”

The new medical site at William Penn will be comprised of five staff members focusing on comprehensive primary care and integrated behavioral health services.

Though the facility’s health providers will work with students on monitoring and improving health, it will not replace William Penn’s already established nursing staff, according to Englerth.

“There’s a whole team of great nurses who interact with students and will continue to interact with students,” she added. “We may be a next step if the school nurse believes that a student needs more intensive care or a more intensive evaluation. They can then come right over to the health center.”

With over 1,600 students at William Penn each year, additional health resources will continue to strengthen students’ relationships with wellness, food and fitness.

Additionally, having a primary care facility located within the walls of William Penn, rather than an out-of-school doctor’s office, will help limit the time that students are out of school, Englerth said.

This philosophy has already been implemented in several other York City schools, including Hannah Penn K-8 which houses a Family First Health center and organizes routine dentist visits.

“A school-based health center also helps just from that practical sense of time management in getting healthcare services to students,” Englerth said, “but having minimal disruptions causing minimal disruptions in the school day.”

Last year, several members of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration visited the clinic, noting the importance of expanding healthcare access. The facility received a $2 million grant via the United Health Foundation in 2020 to help launch its programming.

“As a physician, I worked with families whose health was negatively impacted by the lack of access to health care and other essential services,” said state Human Services Secretary Val Arkoosh. “This is a complex issue, and I am thrilled to be here with partners in health care, government, and education to be a part of the solution.”

Like all of Family First Health clinics, it accepts most types of insurance, including Medicaid and Medicare. No patient is ever turned away based on their inability to pay, Englerth added.

As a nonprofit, Family First Health accepts donations to continue delivering healthcare to theYork community.
The William Penn High project will cost $1 million in its first year of operations, Englerth said.

“This really sets students up for a lifetime of better health by having exposure to healthcare in a school setting,” she added. The ability to offer healthcare services directly to them in their school setting allows them to get experience thinking about how to take care of themselves and how to navigate the healthcare system — all in this protected and trusted setting of the school.”

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