Saint Thomas Health, in the Ascension Tennessee Ministry Market, is putting a walk-in clinic in an East Nashville high school. The move is part of the health ministry's commitment to expand access to primary care, especially in underserved areas.
Saint Thomas recently held a tree-planting ceremony at Maplewood High School where leaders from Saint Thomas Health and Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools joined State Rep. Brenda Gilmore, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry and others.
For more than 10 years, Saint Thomas Health has been a supporter and sponsor of Maplewood High School, a Community Achieves School, through the Academies of Nashville program. Community Achieves is an initiative of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools that supports the development of full-service community schools through infrastructure and technical assistance. In the Academies of Nashville, families have their choice of more than 40 different academies within the 12 zoned high schools in the district. Academies offer a practical, hands-on approach to learning in a field that interests students, ranging from engineering to healthcare.
The nearly $500,000 renovation project to create an on-site health clinic at Maplewood High School is scheduled to be completed in spring 2017.
Click here for a video about the ceremony and project.
The walk-in clinic, which will be open to the public, will offer benefits to both students of Maplewood High School and the surrounding community. Named Saint Thomas Medical Partners Maplewood, the clinic is being built in space that is currently unused. It will be staffed by Saint Thomas Health physicians, nurse practitioners and medical assistants.
"Saint Thomas Health is proud to make this investment in Maplewood High School and the community it serves," said Karen Springer, Senior Vice President, Ascension Healthcare, and Tennessee Ministry Market Executive. "As part of Ascension, we're committed to increasing access to needed medical services, and Saint Thomas Medical Partners at Maplewood will be offering primary care services to the families in this community. It's been great working with Metro Nashville Public Schools and the great team here at Maplewood in developing a unique and innovative way to bring care to the people who need it."
A ceremonial planting of the state tree, a tulip poplar, took place on the back side of the school where the clinic will be located.
