Mercy opens first NWA school health clinic

The Jim D. Rollins School of Innovation, a Springdale Public Schools elementary school in Tontitown, now has a health clinic on campus open to students, their families, faculty and staff as well as members of the community.

Why it matters: Allowing students and their families to receive care at school helps reduce absenteeism, promote health education and advance preventative health care and management of chronic diseases, according to School-based Health Alliance of Arkansas.

• 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.