Students have until October 1 to complete required vaccinations, and the Marion School District is urging families to complete the required immunizations or risk not being able to attend school.
Vaccinations can be completed at many local doctor’s offices and medical centers, but one of the easiest ways for students to get their vaccinations is via the Marion School-Based Health Clinic, located inside Marion High School.
Since 2018, the Marion School District has partnered with the East Arkansas Family Health Center to operate its School-Based Health Clinic. The clinic offers almost every service imaginable to students and staff. Marion is one of only a handful of school districts in Arkansas to provide a health care clinic like this on campus.
In addition to vaccinations, the clinic can do bloodwork, labs, preventive care, and almost everything except X-rays, which are referred elsewhere. The clinic also does physicals for Marion athletes and offers mental health therapy for students and staff. Any student can get treatment at the clinic by getting a signed consent form from their parent.
The clinic is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. All forms of insurance are accepted, and if you don't have insurance, there's a discount based on income. The clinic treats more than 1,000 students per school year on average.
“The school-based health clinic has really helped us foster a culture of wellness and preventive care,” said James Scott, MHS principal, noting that the easy accessibility of the clinic reduces school absences, since students don’t have to leave campus to get health care. “But most of the comments I hear from students are about the clinic staff. The staff members at the clinic really care about students. They listen to them, and always show amazing compassion. It’s a wonderful thing to have in our school.”
For more information, families can contact their student’s campus nurse. The School-Based Health Clinic can be reached at 870-739-5136.
The Marion School District is an innovative and growing district that ensures an equitable, engaging learning community where every student is empowered to achieve academic excellence and personal growth. With more than 150 years of experience serving families in Crittenden County, the district offers a high school, a junior high, a seventh grade academy, and three award-winning magnet schools. For enrollment information, including information on school choice, visit https://www.msd3.org/ or call 870-739-5100.