Mercy opens first NWA school health clinic

• The clinic is inside the school, rather than a separate building.

What they're saying: The clinic, headed by a nurse practitioner, offers a range of general primary care services and fits with Mercy's mission of offering high quality, low-cost health care, Mercy Clinic NWA chief administrative officer Lance Faddis told Axios.

Zoom out: Mercy has school-based clinics in Fort Smith, but the School of Innovation is the health system’s first location in Northwest Arkansas. Community Clinic has nine school-based health centers in NWA, notably in rural areas or with an underserved student population.

What's next: Mercy does not have definite plans to add more school-based clinics in NWA, but it's something the organization may consider in the future, Faddis said.