Monday, August 15, 2011 10:54 am

Family Nurse Practioner Paula Todd checks the ears of Woodbury Grammar student Alison Smith in the CUB CLINIC which opened at the school Monday.

Students are more likely to perform at their best when they are healthy and ready to learn. For the past two years, Cannon County Schools and Coordinated School Health have explored the feasibility of opening a school-based health clinic in Cannon County.

School-based health clinics bring medical practitioners to the school to provide basic health services. These services help students avoid health-related absences and support student academic success.

Balsam Medical, PLLC, in partnership with Cannon County Schools, Coordinated School Health, and Woodbury Grammar School,  is opening the Woodbury Grammar School CUB CLINIC beginning August 15, 2011.

Clinic hours are Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and afternoon appointments as needed. Balsam Medical, PLLC Practitioner, Paula Todd, FNP is running the clinic and Jeff Todd, M.D., serves as Supervising Physician.

Woodbury Grammar School students and their immediate family can be seen at the clinic as well as all faculty and staff within the Cannon County school system. Any person wishing to be seen in the clinic may call 615-962-3675 or may stop by the clinic to schedule an appointment.

The following services will be provided: sick visits (sore throat, earache, cough, cold, urinary tract infection, minor injuries), diabetes, hypertension and asthma visits, Bus Driver physicals, sports physicals, school entrance physicals, Well Child Exams (EPSDT), lab orders and referral to other services.

For patients with insurance coverage, Balsam Medical, PLLC/Cub Clinic will collect co-pays and submit claims to the patient’s insurance company. For patients without insurance, service will be provided at a discount based on income. Proof of income will be required to apply for discounted services.

Parents will be contacted before any child is seen in the clinic. The medical assistant or Nurse Practitioner will always call the parent/guardian before scheduling an appointment. After an appointment, a note will be sent home from the clinic describing the findings, treatment, and recommendations along with the provider’s name and contact number.

Coordinated School Health views the school-based health clinic model as a common sense approach to providing at-risk students convenient access to critical health care services. The school system believes the Cub Clinic will become an integral component of the WGS community and will promote healthier students and greater success in school.

For more information, contact Connie Foster, Director of Coordinated School Health at 615-563-5752 x 245 or connie.foster@ccstn.com. For a WGS Cub Clinic appointment, call 615-962-3675.