MedLink Health Connections Podcast

Breaking Barriers: How Hawks Health Center Brings Healthcare to School

• MedLink Georgia • Season 1 • Episode 11

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What if healthcare came to where students already are?
At the Hawks Health Center in Hall County, that's exactly what's happening. Located on the Chicopee Woods Campus, this full-service clinic removes barriers to care by offering checkups, vaccinations, chronic condition management, and behavioral health support—right on campus.

By reducing missed school, minimizing parents' time away from work, and offering translation and flexible payment options, the center makes care more accessible for all families. The results speak for themselves: better attendance, earlier diagnoses, and life-changing mental health support.

From helping a child overcome chronic illness to guiding families through the healthcare system, the Hawks Health team is proving that when we meet students where they are, we change lives.

For additional details—including hours, address, and phone number—please visit the Hawks Health Center page here: https://medlinkga.org/locations/school-based-health-centers/hawks-health-center/

Speaker 1:

Welcome back to the MedLink Health Connections podcast. Today we're exploring one of the impactful ways MedLink Georgia is helping keep our communities healthy, connected and thriving by meeting students where they are at school. We'll be shining a spotlight on Hawks Health Center, our school-based health center in Hall County that brings essential care directly to campus. We're excited to be joined by three special guests from the Hawks Health Center team, who each play a vital role in making this project possible. Before we jump into this conversation, can each of you take a moment to introduce yourselves and share your role at the Hawks Health Center?

Speaker 2:

My name is Andrea Williamson-English and I am the Health Services Coordinator for the Hall County School District and my role is that Laura and I wrote the grant and we sit on the stakeholder board to oversee Hawk's Health.

Speaker 3:

Awesome. Okay, I'm Laura Terrell and I am the Tier 3 Mental Health Coordinator for Hall County Schools and, along with Andrea, we wrote the grant for the school-based health center and we sit on the board and just make sure that all of the day-to-day operations and things are running smoothly for the school side.

Speaker 4:

My name is Ellen Neese. I am the school nurse at Chickapee Woods and Pox Health is housed here on our campus, so we work together with our students and healthcare provider at Hawks Health.

Speaker 1:

Okay, awesome. Well, I'm super happy to have you guys here. Let's kind of start off. So, for those who may not know what exactly is a school-based health center and how does MedLink Hawks Health Center serve students in Hall County.

Speaker 2:

So a school-based health center is basically a doctor's office inside of a school. It brings health care directly to where our children already are, which helps remove many barriers like transportation, time off from work for parents or even navigating the health care system.

Speaker 4:

I think it fills the gaps with health care for our students.

Speaker 1:

So what are some of the services that are available to students at Hawks Health Center? Are we talking just physical checkups, or do you offer behavioral health vaccines and more?

Speaker 2:

So we offer a wide range of services beyond just physical exams. Students can come in for their wellness checkups, sick visits, vaccinations, chronic condition management, such as asthma or diabetes, and even sports physicals. We also offer a multitude of behavioral health services, and I want to tag off to Laura, so she Behavioral health services for our students in the Hall County School District, not just those who attend Chicopee Woods.

Speaker 3:

Those are provided via on-site or telehealth services with a licensed provider. So our students are able to get those behavioral health services on-site or through telehealth services as well.

Speaker 1:

get those behavioral health services on-site or through telehealth services as well. Awesome, Can students be seen during the school day?

Speaker 2:

and how does that make accessing care easier for families? They can absolutely be seen during the school day, which is one of the biggest draws to a school-based health center. Parents do not have to take time off of work or arrange for transportation to a doctor's office, and students miss less school day time because the health center is right there at their school site. Parents give consent, so that's a big part of this and parents are also able to participate in the visit with the provider actively in the room.

Speaker 1:

Okay, that's amazing. What kind of impact have you seen the health center make since it's opened? Any changes in attendance, student performance or even just general wellness overall?

Speaker 4:

This is Ellen. For me, I feel like we have seen some attendance improve with some of our kids that we identified were out frequently and just did not have access to health care, and parents did not seem to have a real understanding on what was appropriate to be at school or to miss school. And we have worked together and I feel like our attendance has greatly improved. We've also really been on the ball with our immunizations. We are just getting those done in a timely manner and it's really been very, very convenient for parents and children don't have to miss an entire day to go to the health department or wherever to get that taken care of.

Speaker 1:

That's amazing.

Speaker 3:

On the behavioral health side we are seeing a lot of difference with our students who would normally not have those services because parents cannot get them to the office for that behavioral health services and, in addition, a lot of times we're not seeing that those services are really prioritized and so when a student can get those services at school and parents do not have to miss work but can also be a part of those services, either through the visit or after visit with a therapist, kind of being able to share what has happened and the progress with the families, it really does make a difference with our students.

Speaker 1:

Do you have any stories, without sharing names, of how the Hawks Health Center made a difference for a student, or even family, or even staff?

Speaker 4:

I have a couple of stories. I have one we had a child that was missing pretty frequently and having episodes of vomiting. There was a lot of emotional distress, parent was taking to the ER and urgent care, and so there was just no real stability there and there was just no positive outcome. She just continued. So we were able to communicate together and come up with a plan and also to help the parent. So this student is doing really well and we've connected her with just also taking care of those physical and emotional symptoms and she is. She's great. I have not come on, I've not seen her anymore for these episodes, so she's really come a long way and enjoying her the rest of her school year. The other one I would I would say is we had a staff member that was having a lot of frequent respiratory issues and was just not overcoming, not getting well, and she got diagnosed with asthma and she is now on medication and is very stable and doing really well.

Speaker 1:

That's amazing. That's amazing. Any other stories?

Speaker 4:

Well, I could keep going, but we just really love our school-based health center. I just think that it's been great to help connect the parents and the provider and also the school, so that we can all be on the same page and have a great plan in place and just help with the education, which has been kind of a challenge at times.

Speaker 1:

Along those lines. How does having access to health care right on campus help level the playing field for students who might otherwise go?

Speaker 2:

without access access access. Students that once were not being seen by a primary care provider but mainly seen just for sick visits in an urgent care emergency room care, they are now getting the comprehensive care of having a medical home and being seen by a primary care provider that can address a multitude of the big picture health needs.

Speaker 1:

How does the school-based health center get over the language barrier with students who may speak different?

Speaker 4:

languages. We've had a couple of kids that actually they were able to get translators for, and that really helped, because we have students that often have a different dialect and different languages, and so NCACHE was able to help us with that, and that was great.

Speaker 1:

How does the school-based health center keep parents informed?

Speaker 4:

and involved. Parents sometimes don't understand that they are very much involved and we are going to call them and make sure that they do know that we're going to send the child and make sure that they're good with that and also that the center will call them and just follow up and make sure that they understand what the plan is Are there any other benefits that you've seen for families using the school-based health center?

Speaker 2:

So one other perk that we have found is that, using Medlink, they also have a pharmacy and if a prescription is needed, sometimes that cost can be too great for the family and Medlink offers discounted medications. So this has been a huge asset for many of our families that are struggling to afford their medications.

Speaker 1:

Are there any final words?

Speaker 3:

I just really love and what's really been helpful for us is that insurance has not been a barrier. Versus what kind of insurance? And you know, for the mental health side it's very hard to get an appointment with a provider based on your insurance and sometimes those wait times can be very, very long, and so we have not been seeing that with MedLink. Those students that we have referred have been able to get an intake very quickly and have been able to in certain circumstances, the parents have been called within days of being referred, and so we've really appreciated that that hasn't been a barrier at all. So you know, those response times have been really wonderful.

Speaker 1:

All right. That wraps up today's episode of the MedLink Health Connections podcast. A big thank you to our guests for sharing how the Hawks Health Center is making a difference in students' lives every day. If you'd like to learn more or get connected with services, visit us at medlinkgeorgiaorg. Thank you for listening and, as always, stay healthy and stay connected. Thank you for tuning in to the MedLink Health Connections podcast. We hope you found today's episode informative and inspiring. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe, rate and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. Remember, the information shared in this podcast is for educational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice. Always consult with your health care provider for any medical concerns. Stay connected with us on social media and visit our website at medlinkgaorg for more resources and updates. Until next time, stay healthy and take care.