Clarke Central High School junior and Work-Based Learning student Carmen Carranza stands by the entrance to the Hilsman Health center located at 870 Gaines School Road. on Nov. 4, 2025. Carranza has worked at the HHC through WBL and has seen how the staff maintains an upbeat attitude. “(The HHC) gets really stressful and busy, (but) I think the (staff) do a really good job staying positive (and are) able to still talk to the patients in the middle of chaos,” Carranza said. “I find that fascinating, how they can deal with everything.” Photo by Cooper Jones
The CCSD has four School-based Health Centers that offer a variety of low cost healthcare services to CCSD students, staff and immediate family members.
A Clarke County School District student feels ill during class, excuses themselves and walks down the hall hoping to be picked up and taken to the doctor. Unfortunately, their parents are unable to pick them up while being stuck at work, and the student is forced to spend the rest of the day sick at school. School-based Health Centers in the CCSD combat this problem.
The CCSD began working with local healthcare organizations like the Athens Neighborhood Health Center, MedLink and the Athens Free Clinic, in 2018 on the creation of four School-based Health Centers across the district. Located at Clarke Middle, Hilsman and W.R. Coile Middle Schools and Classic City High School, the centers are accessible to all CCSD students and faculty, along with their immediate family members.
“Before we had the four School-based Health Centers, (students) would have to either go to their primary care provider, urgent care or the (Emergency Room) for their medical needs,” CCSD School-based Health Center Coordinator Meredith Dykes said. “(Now), CCSD students, families and employees have health care right there on campus or very near them and pretty much have everything that they need there.”
Following a community needs assessment performed to justify the need for the HHC that identified student healthcare as a concern, the centers were created to improve accessibility to affordable healthcare for CCSD students and staff.
With the exception of the CMHC, whose services are completely free, the other health centers accept most major insurances, Medicaid and use a sliding fee scale that is available for families who qualify. To meet the requirements families must bring in pay stubs for two pay periods and proof of residency.
“Especially in the school setting, to be able to offer services where there’s no copay and no bill, the school nurses feel more comfortable sending people our way, and it makes care more accessible,” Athens Free Clinic and CMHC Medical Director Dr. Suzanne Lester said.
“The school nurses feel more comfortable sending people our way, and it makes care more accessible.”
— Dr. Suzanne Lester, Athens Free Clinic and CMHC Medical Director
Each SBHC offers treatment for illness and injuries, wellness checks, preventative screenings, mental health support and sports physicals. Some individual locations provide additional specified services due to the different partnerships, like the HHC, which is partnered with the Athens Neighborhood Health Center and is the only center that offers comprehensive dental care.
“The (staff does) such a good job, (so) we don’t have any big issues. Our community trusts them a lot, so parents are using the service more frequently,” HMS principal Kenneth Vaughan said. “It’s a very powerful initiative. When I speak to all of the other principals regarding it, it’s been nothing but positive accolades.”
The CCHC and CHC operate under the same non-profit provider, Medlink, but the CMHC, an extension of the Athens Free Clinic, is unique in its partnership with the University of Georgia. This means that the services of the CMHC include legal, behavioral healthcare and counseling in addition to the other services.
“We are interdisciplinary, meaning we are trying to address whatever (big) needs come up for that patient because rarely does a patient or a family present only medical problems,” Lester said. “Often they have other struggles, and those have a negative impact. We are able to address social determinants of health.”
The Hilsman Health Center sign is shown on Nov. 4, 2025 at Hilsman Middle School. The Clarke Middle Health Center first opened to the public in 2022, and like the other three School-based Health Centers located in the Clarke County School District, it has offered affordable health care to families that doesn’t interfere with any original primary care providers. “If they already have a primary provider, they can keep (them) and give permission to the SBHC (to) send records of what they’ve done to the provider,” Clarke County School District SBHC Coordinator Meredith Dykes said. “We want to continue those relationships with primary care providers in town, and we want families to feel comfortable utilizing our four School-based Health Centers.” Photo by Cooper Jones
The SBHC’s are located in close proximity to the school buildings so access is easier for students to reach during the school day, with consent needed from a parent or guardian to receive care.
“Because we have (the SBHC’s), our kids are not losing a lot of time outside (class) waiting to go to the doctor,” Vaughan said. “They get quick and timely service. If we had a traditional health center, you would have elongated periods wherein students may lose so much time in the classroom because of the nuances of a medical facility (with) an extended wait period.”
With the nearest SBHC 1.5 miles away from CCHS at CMS, for Clarke Central High School students there is no apparent SBHC. Despite the lack of location on campus, CCHS students are still able to connect with the SBHC’s through school programs, such as Work-Based Learning. CCHS junior Carmen Carranza works at the HHC to triage patients, which means taking their height, weight and the reason for the visit.
“The (SBHC’s are) really beneficial to the school district. If the kids have an appointment, or they’re sick, they just need the (parent’s) consent (to come). It’s not like their parents have to get off work and bring them, and they’re really flexible, so if they need to squeeze in someone, they will.” Carranza said. “The (staff ) looks through the patient’s history, and if they see they need a vaccine or something (overdue), they’ll call their parents and go get them out of school really quickly. Then financially, they’re also really affordable for families who need a little more support.”
“It’s a very powerful initiative. When I speak to all of the other principals regarding it, it’s been nothing but positive accolades.”
— Kenneth Vaughan, Hilsman Middle School principal
While there are no immediate plans to include a fifth School-based Health Center in the CCSD, the centers are primarily focused on serving the community and improving services.
“The (SBHC’s) are here for our students and our students and families of CCSD and employees, and they do want to see you want y’all to use their services. And it’s easy to get appointments.” Dykes said. “You can call, or have your school nurse help you get an appointment for same day visits. And if (you need) a service they can’t provide then they will help refer you to someone else as well.”
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