The Clarke County School District is pleased to announce an official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Clarke Middle Health Center at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, and formally celebrate the expansion of CCSD’s partnership with the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership to increase access to healthcare services for our students, staff, and families. 

Located on the campus of Clarke Middle School, 1235 Baxter St., Athens, the Clarke Middle Health Center is a free clinic that serves students and staff from Clarke Middle and Alps Road elementary schools and is an extension of the Medical Partnership’s mobile clinic. It also serves as a pediatric-care rotation site for Augusta University. In addition to medical services, the clinic also offers free legal and counseling services through partnerships with UGA’s Aspire Clinic, the Community Health Law Partnership Clinic through UGA's School of Law, and La Clínica in LaK’ech at UGA's Mary Frances Early College of Education. 

This pilot program is staffed by the Medical Partnership and is being funded in the initial pilot period by a nearly $100,000 grant through UGA’s Presidential Interdisciplinary Seed Grant program. Operations began Sept. 6, and the clinic is open 20 hours per week. Specific hours vary and are announced month-to-month, based on staff availability. While the clinic is currently housed in a modular unit on the CMS campus, a permanent clinic space will be included in the future CMS building. CCSD looks forward to collaborating with others in the future, including partnering with the Athens Neighborhood Health Center to provide dental services in the brick-and-mortar clinic.

CCSD  is seeking donors to help fund equipment for the dental room and is aiming to raise $100,000 to support this effort. Interested donors should reach out to Dr. Cyndee Perdue Moore, CCSD’s Executive Director of Public Relations and Communications, for additional information, or they may donate through the Athens Area Community Foundation's website here. Please note in the "Donation Description" box that you would like to earmark these funds for the Clarke Middle Health Center.  

The Clarke Middle Health Center is the second facility to open in partnership between CCSD and local healthcare providers. The Hilsman Health Center, located between Hilsman Middle and Gaines Elementary schools on Gaines School Road, became the first school-based health clinic in northeast Georgia in 2019 and offers medical, dental, and behavioral health services through the Athens Neighborhood Health Center and Advantage Behavioral Health. 

The model of the Hilsman Health Center is slightly different from the Clarke Middle Health Center model, in that the Hilsman Health Center bills insurance and operates more similarly to a doctor's office with appointments preferred due to high patient volume. Initial funding for establishing the Hilsman Health Center was provided through a generous donation from the Piedmont Athens Regional Foundation. CCSD is currently working on plans to expand the Hilsman Health Center to add additional dental and medical exam rooms. Those who wish to donate to this cause can do so through the Athens Area Community Foundation by listing Hilsman Health Center in the “Donation Description” box.