Ashe Mountain Times

Shortfalls in state funding have school officials and parents troubled over the future of the school based health clinic at Ashe County Middle School.

Since 1999, the clinic has served the middle school's population with physical diagnoses, mental health and nutritional services, and health education along with other non-emergency care.

All services are free to parents, although Medicaid and private insurance is billed for billable services, said former community outreach director Nancy Kautz.

The center, which receives funding from various state grants as well as recent appropriations from county commissioners as a prime source, is facing a $20,000 deficit.

A February fundraising drive is planned to spur concern for a clinic among parents and past graduates who utilized services.

Signs of trouble at the clinic first emerged during the 2009-10 school year when services were decreased from five to three days a week, said clinic supervisor Eva Wooten.

A vacancy in the nurse practioner's position required some staff shuffling. A physician's assistant now provides those services.

Clinic hours were restored the following school year although battling financial constraints have become a recurring theme for the center.

The clinic's board chair, David Blackburn, said the health center uses a swath of state grant cycles to hold it over from year to year.

When those grants ran out, officials would look elsewhere for funding.

“You don't keep going back to the same well over and over again when it runs out,” said Blackburn. “You have to go to a different well.”

As the list of available grants began to shrink in the recession, the center began to feel the pinch.

“The school board can include funding in its budget, but because of the cuts within the school system, they are trying to save as many teaching positions as possible,” said Blackburn. “That's one reason why we went to the county commissioners. They have been a great help.”

A grant from the Duke Endowment foundation has made it possible for the clinic to also serve employees within the school system that do not have insurance. That grant may run out when the cycle ends in 2014.

Despite the recent hardships, Blackburn said board members have high hopes for the clinic's future in Ashe County.

“We would like to grow and put a clinic at the high school as well, because when our middle school students leave the first thing they (ask) at the high school is where is the health center at,” said Blackburn. “If the community likes something like this, they should be willing to fund part of it.”

Kautz said the clinic's services transcend the needs of students.

“We are hoping the community will be very generous since this program not only keeps children in school and healthy, but also the parents at work while at the same time instilling healthy habits,” said Kautz. “This will have an impact on the health of the community for years to come.”

Kautz said health officials are currently waiting to hear back from the state level on the status of a grant that would provide funding for the next three years.

“Things look promising for now,” said Blackburn.