Every ribbon cutting means the world to the people who put so much time, dedication, and resources into making their grand opening a reality. It was no different for the crowd assembled at the back end of Enka Middle School on Thursday afternoon. 

Just days before the official start of school here in Buncombe County, our community celebrated the grand opening of the Enka Health Hangar, a new resource for students, families, staff, and faculty in the Enka School District. 

Care and Costs To Families

This school-based health center is one of 36 operated by Blue Ridge Health in western North Carolina. School-based health centers offer comprehensive care, including medical, dental, counseling, and prescriptions.

They are open whenever the school is open, and no student is denied services based on their ability to pay. Private and public health insurance is accepted, and sliding-scale fees are also available for those who qualify.

Parental/guardian consent is required for students to access health care and screenings.

Benefits

“We were thrilled to celebrate this moment with our community and partners,” said Principal Amberle Clarke. “We are blessed to have this resource on our campus and are excited about raising awareness for our school-based health care center so that we can better serve the needs of our students, their families, and our community.”

School-based health centers have proven to be a wise investment in the health and education of youth and families. Benefits include easy-to-access health care on the school campus, which addresses challenges related to transportation and parental work schedules; early detection and treatment of illness can reduce the need for expensive treatment down the road and can keep children out of emergency rooms, saving families stress and money; on-site treatment can keep students in schools; decreasing absenteeism which is a crucial component to staying on track for graduation; school-based health centers have been shown to strengthen the connection between schools and families.

Last year, the Blue Ridge Health School-Based Health Centers served 43% of the student body at both Asheville and Erwin Middle Schools. Combined, 60% of those students served showed improved attendance. 

Why does this matter? There are three main indicators that educators look to when assessing how well a student is doing and if they are in need of proactive support. They are often referred to as the ABCs:

• Attendance (above 90%) 
• Behavior (fewer than 2 significant behavior incidents) 
• Core course grades (passing all core subject areas)

Funding

This initiative is funded by Buncombe County Government, Dogwood Health Trust, the US Department of Education, and local donations.