Hope Public Schools

HOPE – The Hope High School campus will be the focus of an important public meeting Monday, April 23, which will help determine the future of a proposed school-based health center for the HHS campus.\r\n

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The Arkansas Department of Education State School Based Health Center Team will make a formal site visit to HHS at noon on Monday, according to ADE Grants Manager Brittany Rogers. In connection with the visit, Rogers has emphasized the importance of community participation.\r\n

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“Applicants will be scored throughout the site visit process in areas such as local buy-in/support; knowledge and awareness throughout the district core team; participation by-in/strength; acceptable space, etc.,” she wrote in notifying the district of the event.\r\n

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Hope Schools Superintendent Bobby Hart said the $500,000 grant from the state being sought by the district will fund the first five years of the proposed health center, including renovations to the former home and family sciences “cottage” on the HHS campus, where the center will be operated.\r\n

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Proposed funding will decline over the five-year initial operations period with the district becoming responsible for sustainable operations from that point, which Hart has said the HPSD is prepared to undertake.\r\n

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The proposed center will offer both physical and mental health services, based upon grant guidelines, under a school/community/family partnership approach.\r\n

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Renovations to the “cottage” will be undertaken with the first $150,000 of the proposed grant; while, much of the furnishings and equipment needed for initial operations has already been donated by Wadley Regional Medical Center-Hope.\r\n

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Proposed center staffing includes a nurse-practitioner on site, and medical services overseen by a community physician partner and the office of HPS District Nurse Renee Sells, RN. Normal services for students and staff are to be available, with any billable and fee-related services handled directly by the physician partner.\r\n

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Plans, pending state approval, call for beginning operations at HHS in the Spring, 2019, semester.\r\n