By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON, La. — As part of Tuesday’s meeting, the Lincoln Parish School Board voted to expand the current agreement with Winn Community Health (known as Trinity Community Health Centers of Louisiana) to bring school-based clinics to both Dubach School and Ruston High School starting in the 2026-27 school year.
“(This partnership has) been a real positive thing for our kids and also our faculty to be able to be seen for things right there on campus and have to take a half day off,” Lincoln Parish School Superintendent Ricky Durrett said. “It gives access to immediate care before they get too sick while trying to get to a doctor. It’s just been a real positive all the way around. We’re very appreciative of the good partnership we have with Trinity and hope to continue build it.”
Currently, there are clinics imbedded in all four elementary schools in Ruston (Glen View, Hillcrest, Ruston Elementary and Cypress Springs), I.A. Lewis and Ruston Junior High. Adding RHS and Dubach will bring the total to eight schools with an embedded clinic.
“I feel like having a clinic on site at Ruston High is going to be a positive thing for our students and staff,” Ruston High Principal Dan Gresett said. “We have one fulltime nurse on staff now to service over 1200 students, so any help there will be a bonus. Based on what I’ve heard from other schools, and having used the clinic at the junior high myself, I don’t see anything but positives coming from this. There are some logistics to figure out, but we are excited to be getting the clinic.”
Dubach School Principal Tiffany Young sees the clinic being a huge plus for her campus in a rural area.
“I am so excited for Dubach School to be a part of the school clinic expansion,” Young said. “Being a rural school is a unique experience and the clinic allows us opportunities to support families and the community in new ways. Having a clinic at Dubach will provide our students and families health care opportunities without parents having to take time off work. The addition of the school clinic will continue to make sure that great things happen at Dubach. Students and staff both will benefit from the clinic, it’s a win-win for everyone.”
School Board member Donna Doss (now Vice President) also expressed her excitement at the meeting.
“I have seen this program work first-hand, having a daughter-in-law that teaches in once of these schools,” Doss said. “This is the best New Year’s gift I could receive in District 4 to have these services brought to Dubach School. I say thank you very much.”
As per the original agreement, 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 schools will be responsible for providing space and utilities as normal.
According to Trinity CEO Deano Thornton, no students or faculty who visit the clinic, regardless of insurance status, will pay an out-of-pocket cost.
“This school system has been great to work with,” Thornton said Tuesday night. “We’ve started this program in several parishes, and (Lincoln Parish) has been one of the best ones we’ve worked with. We’ll start interviewing staff and try to have everyone in place to start in August (at Dubach School and Ruston High).”
Durrett added that Simsboro would be next in line for a clinic in the coming years should the partnership with Trinity continue.
The original agreement was voted on back in December of 2024 by the School Board in a 7-5 vote. The MOU was for three years and began in the 2025-26 school year.
