New Richmond Schools hopes coming health clinic, job center boost students and community
When you're not feeling well, the last thing you want to do is ride in a car for 40 miles.
That's what students and their guardians at New Richmond Exempted Village School District did about 7,000 times last year, Superintendent Tracey Miller says. He says families made the trek to Children's Hospital in Avondale to get routine medical care, some of which could have been provided closer to home.
"You think about parents having to get off work, the kid has to get out of school — not good — drive to Cincinnati to be at Children's Hospital, then drive back, that's a lot of time wasted," Miller says. "We thought if we could alleviate some of that, our parents wouldn't necessarily have to get off work, our kids wouldn't have to miss school and we could provide the services right here in our community."
Luckily, the community in Clermont County is getting some help to make that vision a reality — as well as more resources to boost job prospects for students graduating from the district.
In June, the district was awarded $711,000 from the state of Ohio's Appalachian Community Innovation Centers grant program. That money will go toward establishing a health clinic and job resource office on the district's campus. The state received 84 applications for the program; New Richmond Schools' proposal was one of only 11 selected.
RELATED: New Richmond hopes riverfront project helps village change course
The district administered a survey in which 70% of families it serves indicated they would utilize the clinic.
District Student and Staff Services Director John Frye spearheaded the grant application. He says he hopes the health clinic offerings can grow from basic care a school nurse doesn't provide to service more specialized medical needs.
"Essentially it's going to be an urgent care facility in the beginning," he says. "We believe we'll be able to expand it to provide mental health care and other services... we're hoping to be able to bring some of those services out here as we grow as a health center."
The clinic will go in an existing space on the campus, but the area will need renovation work. The district is in the final stages of an agreement with Cincinnati Children's Hospital to staff the health center.
Money from the grant will also go toward boosting students' long-term economic prospects with a satellite office of Clermont County Job and Family Services and the state's Ohio Means Jobs program. In addition to serving students, the district says that satellite location will have adult career training facilities.
"If we can help build up the job skills of our kids and our recent graduates who have left us, why wouldn't we do that?" Miller says.
RELATED: Lockland hopes historic school renovation will be part of a larger 'renaissance'
The community is still recovering from the loss of some of its tax base and employment opportunities. The district and the Village of New Richmond lost significant tax revenues — and residents lost jobs — when the Beckjord coal-fired power plant closed in 2014. Another coal power plant up the road in Moscow also paid significantly into the district and provided jobs until it closed in 2022.
While New Richmond is working hard to rebound, every opportunity helps, Miller says. He adds the grant is a big deal in a district where 40% of students live in families below the poverty line.
"That's pretty significant when 40 percent of your population are kids whose families struggle to make ends meet," he says. "Whether it be breakfast and lunch during the day, or how to pay the rent at night, or how to go visit the hospital."
