ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, Va. – Students at Rockbridge County are getting better access to health care at their schools.
The school district has provided dental care services for many years, but they say adding care for both physical and mental health will help ease the burdens on both students and families.
“There are less and less available physicians, less healthcare professionals available in the area to help our kids with these things. Anytime we have the opportunity to provide those services in-house, especially during the school day, it’s a win-win situation for everybody.” Phillip Thompson, Division Superintendent of Rockbridge County Schools, said.
From everything from physicals to individual and small group counseling, students can get the care they need.
“Being a native of Rockbridge County and a Paramedic in the area for nearly 20 years, in our rural communities there’s a lot of challenges to access to healthcare, whether it’s transportation barriers or just the need, so a lot of them don’t have the ability to connect with healthcare.” Amanda McComas, Family Nurse Practitioner for Rockbridge Health Center, said.
Medical and behavioral health professionals are available at Maury River Middle School and Rockbridge County High School, but all students in the district are able to use the services.