The Jim D. Rollins School of Innovation, Springdale Public Schools elementary school in Tontytown, now has an on-campus clinic available to students, their families, faculty, and members of the community.

Important reasons: Bringing care to students and their families in schools reduces absenteeism, promotes health education, and promotes preventive health care and chronic disease management, according to the Arkansas school-based Health Alliance. helps.

• The clinic is in the school, not in a separate building.

What they say: Led by a nurse practitioner, the clinic offers a wide range of general primary care services and fits with Mercy’s mission of providing high-quality, low-cost health care, said Mercy Clinic NWA’s Chief Executive Officer. One Ransfadis told Axios.

Zoom out: Mercy has a school-based clinic in Fort Smith, but the School of Innovation is the first health system location in Northwest Arkansas. Community Clinics has nine school-based health centers in NWA. It is particularly concentrated in rural areas and areas with a low number of students.

What’s next: Mercy has no definite plans to add more school-based clinics to the NWA, but Faddis said the organization might consider it in the future.