FOUNTAIN LAKE -- Fountain Lake School District's new Cobra Health Center is now open to students, faculty, staff members and the public, district officials said.
Clinic days are Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Non-clinic or telemedicine days are Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
The purpose of the health center, located in Building 7 across from the K-1 building, is to provide health care to students and staff members at Fountain Lake and the community.
"We basically serve as a walk-in environment for sick visits, but we also take care of wellness visits, as well as immunizations, school physicals, bus driver physicals," health coordinator Kim Harrell said.
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"We're a full-service clinic where you can pretty much do lab services. If we need to refer you out to a specialist, we can pretty much cover anything a normal clinic would cover."
The district partnered with HealthStar Physicians of Hot Springs, which provides a nurse practitioner for the clinic as well as a licensed practical nurse or a medical assistant.
HealthStar also gives the district access to any of the other services they offer.
The health center was created when the district's school board saw the need for one, then applied for a state grant administered by the Arkansas Department of Education in partnership with the Arkansas Department of Health.
"We are grant-funded for the first five years, and then after that, we have to be self-sustainable," Harrell said.
The school benefits because students, faculty and staff members don't have to leave school to be evaluated if they are not feeling well.
The children "were able to call their parents, let them know what's going on, and parents don't have to leave work then," Nurse Practitioner Elaine Pool said. "We're able to treat them, send the prescription into the pharmacy. That way, the kids, if they're not contagious, can go back to class, and parents don't have to miss work."
"Parents or guardians do not have to be on-site for us to evaluate and treat their child. We have phones in all our exam rooms and can call the parent/guardian while the child is being seen," according to information posted on the clinic's website. "But parents or guardians are always welcome. Your child will never be treated without us reaching out to a parent first."
The center is not able to offer completely free services, but the patients do not have to pay up front. They will bill individuals and work with them on a payment schedule to offer more reasonable prices and flexible payment options.
"We can perform both well and sick visits at the health center. Appointments can be scheduled, but walk-ins are also welcome," the website said. "Due to the close proximity to Fountain Lake Family Medicine, we have access to lab and imaging services."
To enroll a child, individuals need to fill out the enrollment packet and once completed the center will have consent to treat the child for their full time at the Fountain Lake School District unless consent is revoked in writing, it said.
"Completing the paperwork ahead of time saves time when your child needs to be seen here at the clinic. The paperwork is what takes the longest amount of time," the website said.