Every child deserves the opportunity to thrive — starting with good health. At Adena Health, that belief drives a system-wide commitment to deliver care where it’s needed most: right at school.
For more than 20 years, Adena has partnered with schools across south central and southern Ohio to bring health care into the classroom. It began with athletic training support but has now grown into a comprehensive strategy that includes everything from primary and mental health care to chronic condition management and staff wellness programs.
Today, Adena’s school-based health efforts serve more than 25,000 students and 4,000 staff members across 12 school districts. Whether through in-school care, onsite mobile clinics, or full-service school-based health clinics, Adena is working to ensure every child has access to the care they need to succeed in school — and in life.
A collaborative model for health and learning
Adena’s approach is rooted in meaningful, long-term collaboration between caregivers, educators, parents, and communities. These partnerships are built on a shared goal: to improve the health and wellness of all children across the region.
This work has been guided in part by findings from community health needs assessments — conducted in collaboration with local partners every three years — which identified children’s safety, mental health, and lifelong wellness as top priorities. These insights, along with follow-up health and wellness assessments in area school districts, revealed growing needs for services like primary care, mental health support, dental care, and nutrition resources.
By bringing care into schools, Adena is helping remove common barriers like transportation challenges, limited provider access, and long wait times. As a result, more students are staying healthy and in school, and parents are better able to balance work and family needs.
From the nurse’s office to full-service clinics
Adena launched its first school-based health clinic, Adena Family Medicine–Ironmen Clinic, at Jackson Middle School in 2019. Since then, demand has only grown. The launch of the Adena Mobile Clinic in 2023 expanded access further, providing acute care, testing, immunizations, and more — right outside the school doors.
Services provided through school partnerships can include:
Acute illness and injury care
Chronic condition management (e.g., asthma, diabetes)
Immunizations and physicals
Prescription access and lab testing
Mental health services
Sports medicine and athletic training
In 2023, Adena strengthened its partnerships by signing affiliation agreements with 14 schools, providing each with a $25,000 grant and expanded opportunities for health education, sponsorship, and brand activation with school events and wellness campaigns.
A vision for the future
With five new school-based health centers and clinics set to open in 2025 and 2026 — and continued collaboration with Nationwide Children’s Hospital through the Appalachian Children’s Health Initiative — Adena is building a future where care is even more accessible.
Because when students are healthy and in school, they’re better prepared to learn, grow, and reach their full potential.
Learn more about Adena’s school-based health efforts at Adena.org/SchoolCare