New Health Clinic Opens at Old Town Elementary to Serve District Students
In a significant community achievement, a previously unused portable building at Old Town Elementary in Winston-Salem has been transformed into a fully functional health clinic. This initiative, which has been two years in the making, was made possible through the collaboration of local churches, organizations, and the School Health Alliance for Forsyth County.
At the clinic’s opening ceremony, School Social Worker Sam Zivin explained the motivation behind the project: “We had a number of our kids here at Old Town who were sick and who were staying out of school for a significant amount of time, not necessarily because they wanted to, but because for whatever reason they didn’t have access to the medical care they needed,” he remarked.
This new clinic is accessible to students throughout the district, offering appointments irrespective of their financial situation. The facility is equipped with a full-time family nurse practitioner, a medical assistant, and a part-time mental health provider available several days each week.
Stephanie Daniel, Executive Director of the School Health Alliance for Forsyth County, emphasized the broader impact of the clinic, referring to it as a “beacon of goodness” within the community. She stated, “We know that kids who are healthy physically, nutritionally and emotionally and behaviorally are better able to succeed in the classroom. And that’s really what it’s all about. We want kids, all kids, to have equal opportunity to quality health care, and in turn, quality educational opportunities, so that they can be successful.”
This establishment marks the seventh brick-and-mortar clinic to be opened in the district, further supporting the health and educational success of students in the area.
