By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON, La. — During Tuesday’s session, the Lincoln Parish School Board voted in favor of a three-year partnership with a regional health center to add school-based clinics in four elementary schools and two middle schools, both located in Ruston.
Voting 7-5 in favor, the school board elected to move forward with a memorandum of understanding with Winn Community Health (known as Trinity Community Health Centers of Louisiana) to bring school-based clinics to Cypress Springs, Ruston Elementary, Glen View, Hillcrest, I.A. Lewis and Ruston Junior High starting August of 2025.
The embedded clinics would come at no cost to the LPSB, as Trinity’s status as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) would allow the company to be reimbursed for services by billing Medicaid.
The purpose would be for any child (whose parents/guardians choose to opt-in for these services) at these schools to receive on-site medical care from embedded nurse practitioners, who could give a medical diagnosis right there, write a prescription or encourage the family to have the child follow up with their primary provider.
“It would be like a miniature clinic (at each of these sites),” Trinity Community Health Centers of Louisiana CEO Deano Thornton said. “We would see those kids — mom or dad would not have to take off of work to take them to the doctor for a problem. We could see kids that are hurt at school.”
Trinity would also be able to offer dental exams, x-rays and cleanings, as well, along with immunizations and routine wellness checks. Physicals would also be offered for students that play sports.
Thornton added that any student that is opted-in for services would be seen for no cost, regardless of insurance status. Students with private insurance would have their co-pay waived.
“This is an opportunity for kids to receive health care at our school campuses, and it’s going to open up more opportunities for kids to get help quicker rather walking sick around (school campus), going back home or not going to the doctor to get medicine,” LPSB Superintendent Ricky Durrett said. “They would be able to test on-site for flu, COVID, and strep. And this will be really good for some of our economically-challenged kids to receive services.”
The school-based clinics could also see staff members at the school, as well, who may wake up on a morning not feeling well. Rather than miss an entire day of school to make an appointment, teachers and staff could go see the practitioner to assess how serious their illness is and help make a plan from there.
Trinity would also absorb all the cost of part-time nurse positions at each school. Nurses that currently work for these schools would be given interviews with Trinity and could then work directly for the company rather than the school district.
Being a non-profit 501c3 corporation, Thornton added that the health centers invest directly back into the community.
“We’ve been blessed and been good stewards of what God has trusted us with,” Thornton said. “We’ve tried to return that money back to the communities that we serve. In Rapids Parish, we “donated” three school nurses to their district. We’re paying their salaries, and they work for them. And in Winn Parish, we gave them an athletic trainer this year. So if we’re successful, we put that money back into the system that we serve.”
Questions arose during the school board session about Trinity’s home location being in Winn Parish and the question was asked if there were other FQHC’s that were available in Lincoln Parish.
“I don’t know of any other option than (North Louisiana Medical Center), and I don’t know if they would have wanted to make a presentation,” LPSB President Gregg Phillips said. “But the board spoke, and I’m grateful for the opportunity that we all voted and made a decision. We will move forward. But it’s not a long-term agreement. It’s an opportunity to give them long enough to get established, for them to get to know us while we get to know them, and go forward from there. There are other schools that could be added.”
For LPSB Director of Student Support Services Justin Barron, the partnership will shore up attendance for students to be in class.
“The goal here is really about keeping kids in the classroom,” Barron said. “I’ve heard that over and over in these meetings: it’s about attendance. We can’t teach them if they’re not in their seat. We feel like this is the advantage here: being able to see a kid in the moment, respond in whatever way is appropriate, and get them back into the classroom as quickly as feasible. That’s where we feel like the value really comes from.”
Trinity Community Health Centers have partnered with school districts in Rapides, Morehouse, and Winn Parishes, just to name a few. According to Thornton, all of the school districts they currently work with are pleased with the partnership.
It was noted, as well, that if the first MOU is successful that more schools in the Lincoln Parish School district could likely have a clinic embedded, though no specific timeline nor schools were identified.
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