OPS to hold ribbon cutting for health center

After seven months of construction, the opening of Otsego Public School’s new on-site student health center is nearly here.
The district will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 6 p.m., with an open house to follow until 8 p.m.
The health center is located at 538 Washington St., with the entrance situated near the circle drive between Wasthington Street Elementary School and Otsego Middle School.
“Otsego Public Schools is proud to be the first district in Allegan County to house an on-site Student Health Center,” the district said in a release. “This facility eliminates the barrier of access to essential and quality healthcare for many of our families.”
Planning for this facility began in February 2023. That’s when Otsego Public Schools received a Child and Adolescent Health Center Program Planning Grant worth $25,000 from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
Once approved, an additional $500,000-plus in state grants brought the planning to reality.
Otsego’s Student Health Center is a partnership with InterCare promoting the health of children, adolescents and their families by providing important primary, preventative and early intervention healthcare services.
Services to be provided include:
● primary care
● preventative care
● comprehensive health assessment
● vision and hearing screening
● immunization
● treatment of acute illness
● co-management of chronic illness
● health education
● mental health care
These integrated primary care and mental health centers serve youth and adolescents ages three to 21 in schools. The Otsego Student Health Care is staffed by InterCare healthcare professionals and includes a medical provider, therapist and support staff
“We are excited to open the student health center to see this become a reality in increased access to care for our students and their families,” Otsego Public Schools superintendent Jeff Haase said. “When you review the data from the Community Health Improvement Plan through the Allegan County Health Department, over 70 perecnt of our families are leaving Allegan county for pediatric care.
“With this facility, our families will have this health center for pediatric care close to home.”