May 21, 2025 • 11 mins
What if healthcare came to where students already are?
At the Hawks Health Center in Hall County, that's exactly what's happening. Located on the Chicopee Woods Campus, this full-service clinic removes barriers to care by offering checkups, vaccinations, chronic condition management, and behavioral health support—right on campus.
By reducing missed school, minimizing parents' time away from work, and offering translation and flexible payment options, the center makes care more accessible for all families. The results speak for themselves: better attendance, earlier diagnoses, and life-changing mental health support.
From helping a child overcome chronic illness to guiding families through the healthcare system, the Hawks Health team is proving that when we meet students where they are, we change lives.
For additional details—including hours, address, and phone number—please visit the Hawks Health Center page here: https://medlinkga.org/locations/school-based-health-centers/hawks-health-center/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome back to the MedLink Health Connections
podcast.
Today we're exploring one ofthe impactful ways MedLink
Georgia is helping keep ourcommunities healthy, connected
and thriving by meeting studentswhere they are at school.
We'll be shining a spotlight onHawks Health Center, our
school-based health center inHall County that brings
essential care directly tocampus.
(00:24):
We're excited to be joined bythree special guests from the
Hawks Health Center team, whoeach play a vital role in making
this project possible.
Before we jump into thisconversation, can each of you
take a moment to introduceyourselves and share your role
at the Hawks Health Center?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
My name is Andrea Williamson-English and I am the
Health Services Coordinator forthe Hall County School District
and my role is that Laura and Iwrote the grant and we sit on
the stakeholder board to overseeHawk's Health.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Awesome.
Okay, I'm Laura Terrell and Iam the Tier 3 Mental Health
Coordinator for Hall CountySchools and, along with Andrea,
we wrote the grant for theschool-based health center and
we sit on the board and justmake sure that all of the
day-to-day operations and thingsare running smoothly for the
(01:15):
school side.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
My name is Ellen Neese.
I am the school nurse atChickapee Woods and Pox Health
is housed here on our campus, sowe work together with our
students and healthcare providerat Hawks Health.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Okay, awesome.
Well, I'm super happy to haveyou guys here.
Let's kind of start off.
So, for those who may not knowwhat exactly is a school-based
health center and how doesMedLink Hawks Health Center
serve students in Hall County.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
So a school-based health center is basically a
doctor's office inside of aschool.
It brings health care directlyto where our children already
are, which helps remove manybarriers like transportation,
time off from work for parentsor even navigating the health
care system.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
I think it fills the gaps with health care for our
students.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
So what are some of the services that are available
to students at Hawks HealthCenter?
Are we talking just physicalcheckups, or do you offer
behavioral health vaccines andmore?
Speaker 2 (02:23):
So we offer a wide range of services beyond just
physical exams.
Students can come in for theirwellness checkups, sick visits,
vaccinations, chronic conditionmanagement, such as asthma or
diabetes, and even sportsphysicals.
We also offer a multitude ofbehavioral health services, and
I want to tag off to Laura, soshe Behavioral health services
(02:51):
for our students in the HallCounty School District, not just
those who attend Chicopee Woods.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Those are provided via on-site or telehealth
services with a licensedprovider.
So our students are able to getthose behavioral health
services on-site or throughtelehealth services as well.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
get those behavioral health services on-site or
through telehealth services aswell.
Awesome, Can students be seenduring the school day?
Speaker 2 (03:22):
and how does that make accessing care easier for
families?
They can absolutely be seenduring the school day, which is
one of the biggest draws to aschool-based health center.
Parents do not have to taketime off of work or arrange for
transportation to a doctor'soffice, and students miss less
school day time because thehealth center is right there at
their school site.
(03:42):
Parents give consent, so that'sa big part of this and parents
are also able to participate inthe visit with the provider
actively in the room.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Okay, that's amazing.
What kind of impact have youseen the health center make
since it's opened?
Any changes in attendance,student performance or even just
general wellness overall?
Speaker 4 (04:05):
This is Ellen.
For me, I feel like we haveseen some attendance improve
with some of our kids that weidentified were out frequently
and just did not have access tohealth care, and parents did not
seem to have a realunderstanding on what was
appropriate to be at school orto miss school.
(04:28):
And we have worked together andI feel like our attendance has
greatly improved.
We've also really been on theball with our immunizations.
We are just getting those donein a timely manner and it's
really been very, veryconvenient for parents and
children don't have to miss anentire day to go to the health
(04:49):
department or wherever to getthat taken care of.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
That's amazing.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
On the behavioral health side we are seeing a lot
of difference with our studentswho would normally not have
those services because parentscannot get them to the office
for that behavioral healthservices and, in addition, a lot
of times we're not seeing thatthose services are really
prioritized and so when astudent can get those services
(05:20):
at school and parents do nothave to miss work but can also
be a part of those services,either through the visit or
after visit with a therapist,kind of being able to share what
has happened and the progresswith the families, it really
does make a difference with ourstudents.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Do you have any stories, without sharing names,
of how the Hawks Health Centermade a difference for a student,
or even family, or even staff?
Speaker 4 (05:51):
I have a couple of stories.
I have one we had a child thatwas missing pretty frequently
and having episodes of vomiting.
There was a lot of emotionaldistress, parent was taking to
the ER and urgent care, and sothere was just no real stability
(06:14):
there and there was just nopositive outcome.
She just continued.
So we were able to communicatetogether and come up with a plan
and also to help the parent.
So this student is doing reallywell and we've connected her
with just also taking care ofthose physical and emotional
(06:35):
symptoms and she is.
She's great.
I have not come on, I've notseen her anymore for these
episodes, so she's really come along way and enjoying her the
rest of her school year.
The other one I would I wouldsay is we had a staff member
that was having a lot offrequent respiratory issues and
(06:59):
was just not overcoming, notgetting well, and she got
diagnosed with asthma and she isnow on medication and is very
stable and doing really well.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
That's amazing.
That's amazing.
Any other stories?
Speaker 4 (07:18):
Well, I could keep going, but we just really love
our school-based health center.
I just think that it's beengreat to help connect the
parents and the provider andalso the school, so that we can
all be on the same page and havea great plan in place and just
help with the education, whichhas been kind of a challenge at
(07:41):
times.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Along those lines.
How does having access tohealth care right on campus help
level the playing field forstudents who might otherwise go?
Speaker 2 (07:51):
without access access access.
Students that once were notbeing seen by a primary care
provider but mainly seen justfor sick visits in an urgent
care emergency room care, theyare now getting the
(08:13):
comprehensive care of having amedical home and being seen by a
primary care provider that canaddress a multitude of the big
picture health needs.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
How does the school-based health center get
over the language barrier withstudents who may speak different
?
Speaker 4 (08:22):
languages.
We've had a couple of kids thatactually they were able to get
translators for, and that reallyhelped, because we have
students that often have adifferent dialect and different
languages, and so NCACHE wasable to help us with that, and
that was great.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
How does the school-based health center keep
parents informed?
Speaker 4 (08:46):
and involved.
Parents sometimes don'tunderstand that they are very
much involved and we are goingto call them and make sure that
they do know that we're going tosend the child and make sure
that they're good with that andalso that the center will call
them and just follow up and makesure that they understand what
(09:09):
the plan is Are there any otherbenefits that you've seen for
families using the school-basedhealth center?
Speaker 2 (09:15):
So one other perk that we have found is that,
using Medlink, they also have apharmacy and if a prescription
is needed, sometimes that costcan be too great for the family
and Medlink offers discountedmedications.
So this has been a huge assetfor many of our families that
(09:35):
are struggling to afford theirmedications.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
Are there any final words?
Speaker 3 (09:41):
I just really love and what's really been helpful
for us is that insurance has notbeen a barrier.
Versus what kind of insurance?
And you know, for the mentalhealth side it's very hard to
get an appointment with aprovider based on your insurance
(10:05):
and sometimes those wait timescan be very, very long, and so
we have not been seeing thatwith MedLink.
Those students that we havereferred have been able to get
an intake very quickly and havebeen able to in certain
circumstances, the parents havebeen called within days of being
(10:27):
referred, and so we've reallyappreciated that that hasn't
been a barrier at all.
So you know, those responsetimes have been really wonderful
.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
All right.
That wraps up today's episodeof the MedLink Health
Connections podcast.
A big thank you to our guestsfor sharing how the Hawks Health
Center is making a differencein students' lives every day.
If you'd like to learn more orget connected with services,
visit us at medlinkgeorgiaorg.
Thank you for listening and, asalways, stay healthy and stay
connected.
Thank you for tuning in to theMedLink Health Connections
(11:00):
podcast.
We hope you found today'sepisode informative and
inspiring.
If you enjoyed the show, pleasesubscribe, rate and leave a
review on your favorite podcastplatform.
Remember, the informationshared in this podcast is for
educational purposes only andshould not replace professional
medical advice.
Always consult with your healthcare provider for any medical
(11:21):
concerns.
Stay connected with us onsocial media and visit our
website at medlinkgaorg for moreresources and updates.
Until next time, stay healthyand take care.
Welcome back to the MedLink Health Connections
podcast.
Today we're exploring one ofthe impactful ways MedLink
Georgia is helping keep ourcommunities healthy, connected
and thriving by meeting studentswhere they are at school.
We'll be shining a spotlight onHawks Health Center, our
school-based health center inHall County that brings
essential care directly tocampus.
(00:24):
We're excited to be joined bythree special guests from the
Hawks Health Center team, whoeach play a vital role in making
this project possible.
Before we jump into thisconversation, can each of you
take a moment to introduceyourselves and share your role
at the Hawks Health Center?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
My name is Andrea Williamson-English and I am the
Health Services Coordinator forthe Hall County School District
and my role is that Laura and Iwrote the grant and we sit on
the stakeholder board to overseeHawk's Health.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Awesome.
Okay, I'm Laura Terrell and Iam the Tier 3 Mental Health
Coordinator for Hall CountySchools and, along with Andrea,
we wrote the grant for theschool-based health center and
we sit on the board and justmake sure that all of the
day-to-day operations and thingsare running smoothly for the
(01:15):
school side.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
My name is Ellen Neese.
I am the school nurse atChickapee Woods and Pox Health
is housed here on our campus, sowe work together with our
students and healthcare providerat Hawks Health.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Okay, awesome.
Well, I'm super happy to haveyou guys here.
Let's kind of start off.
So, for those who may not knowwhat exactly is a school-based
health center and how doesMedLink Hawks Health Center
serve students in Hall County.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
So a school-based health center is basically a
doctor's office inside of aschool.
It brings health care directlyto where our children already
are, which helps remove manybarriers like transportation,
time off from work for parentsor even navigating the health
care system.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
I think it fills the gaps with health care for our
students.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
So what are some of the services that are available
to students at Hawks HealthCenter?
Are we talking just physicalcheckups, or do you offer
behavioral health vaccines andmore?
Speaker 2 (02:23):
So we offer a wide range of services beyond just
physical exams.
Students can come in for theirwellness checkups, sick visits,
vaccinations, chronic conditionmanagement, such as asthma or
diabetes, and even sportsphysicals.
We also offer a multitude ofbehavioral health services, and
I want to tag off to Laura, soshe Behavioral health services
(02:51):
for our students in the HallCounty School District, not just
those who attend Chicopee Woods.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Those are provided via on-site or telehealth
services with a licensedprovider.
So our students are able to getthose behavioral health
services on-site or throughtelehealth services as well.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
get those behavioral health services on-site or
through telehealth services aswell.
Awesome, Can students be seenduring the school day?
Speaker 2 (03:22):
and how does that make accessing care easier for
families?
They can absolutely be seenduring the school day, which is
one of the biggest draws to aschool-based health center.
Parents do not have to taketime off of work or arrange for
transportation to a doctor'soffice, and students miss less
school day time because thehealth center is right there at
their school site.
(03:42):
Parents give consent, so that'sa big part of this and parents
are also able to participate inthe visit with the provider
actively in the room.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Okay, that's amazing.
What kind of impact have youseen the health center make
since it's opened?
Any changes in attendance,student performance or even just
general wellness overall?
Speaker 4 (04:05):
This is Ellen.
For me, I feel like we haveseen some attendance improve
with some of our kids that weidentified were out frequently
and just did not have access tohealth care, and parents did not
seem to have a realunderstanding on what was
appropriate to be at school orto miss school.
(04:28):
And we have worked together andI feel like our attendance has
greatly improved.
We've also really been on theball with our immunizations.
We are just getting those donein a timely manner and it's
really been very, veryconvenient for parents and
children don't have to miss anentire day to go to the health
(04:49):
department or wherever to getthat taken care of.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
That's amazing.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
On the behavioral health side we are seeing a lot
of difference with our studentswho would normally not have
those services because parentscannot get them to the office
for that behavioral healthservices and, in addition, a lot
of times we're not seeing thatthose services are really
prioritized and so when astudent can get those services
(05:20):
at school and parents do nothave to miss work but can also
be a part of those services,either through the visit or
after visit with a therapist,kind of being able to share what
has happened and the progresswith the families, it really
does make a difference with ourstudents.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Do you have any stories, without sharing names,
of how the Hawks Health Centermade a difference for a student,
or even family, or even staff?
Speaker 4 (05:51):
I have a couple of stories.
I have one we had a child thatwas missing pretty frequently
and having episodes of vomiting.
There was a lot of emotionaldistress, parent was taking to
the ER and urgent care, and sothere was just no real stability
(06:14):
there and there was just nopositive outcome.
She just continued.
So we were able to communicatetogether and come up with a plan
and also to help the parent.
So this student is doing reallywell and we've connected her
with just also taking care ofthose physical and emotional
(06:35):
symptoms and she is.
She's great.
I have not come on, I've notseen her anymore for these
episodes, so she's really come along way and enjoying her the
rest of her school year.
The other one I would I wouldsay is we had a staff member
that was having a lot offrequent respiratory issues and
(06:59):
was just not overcoming, notgetting well, and she got
diagnosed with asthma and she isnow on medication and is very
stable and doing really well.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
That's amazing.
That's amazing.
Any other stories?
Speaker 4 (07:18):
Well, I could keep going, but we just really love
our school-based health center.
I just think that it's beengreat to help connect the
parents and the provider andalso the school, so that we can
all be on the same page and havea great plan in place and just
help with the education, whichhas been kind of a challenge at
(07:41):
times.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Along those lines.
How does having access tohealth care right on campus help
level the playing field forstudents who might otherwise go?
Speaker 2 (07:51):
without access access access.
Students that once were notbeing seen by a primary care
provider but mainly seen justfor sick visits in an urgent
care emergency room care, theyare now getting the
(08:13):
comprehensive care of having amedical home and being seen by a
primary care provider that canaddress a multitude of the big
picture health needs.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
How does the school-based health center get
over the language barrier withstudents who may speak different
?
Speaker 4 (08:22):
languages.
We've had a couple of kids thatactually they were able to get
translators for, and that reallyhelped, because we have
students that often have adifferent dialect and different
languages, and so NCACHE wasable to help us with that, and
that was great.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
How does the school-based health center keep
parents informed?
Speaker 4 (08:46):
and involved.
Parents sometimes don'tunderstand that they are very
much involved and we are goingto call them and make sure that
they do know that we're going tosend the child and make sure
that they're good with that andalso that the center will call
them and just follow up and makesure that they understand what
(09:09):
the plan is Are there any otherbenefits that you've seen for
families using the school-basedhealth center?
Speaker 2 (09:15):
So one other perk that we have found is that,
using Medlink, they also have apharmacy and if a prescription
is needed, sometimes that costcan be too great for the family
and Medlink offers discountedmedications.
So this has been a huge assetfor many of our families that
(09:35):
are struggling to afford theirmedications.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
Are there any final words?
Speaker 3 (09:41):
I just really love and what's really been helpful
for us is that insurance has notbeen a barrier.
Versus what kind of insurance?
And you know, for the mentalhealth side it's very hard to
get an appointment with aprovider based on your insurance
(10:05):
and sometimes those wait timescan be very, very long, and so
we have not been seeing thatwith MedLink.
Those students that we havereferred have been able to get
an intake very quickly and havebeen able to in certain
circumstances, the parents havebeen called within days of being
(10:27):
referred, and so we've reallyappreciated that that hasn't
been a barrier at all.
So you know, those responsetimes have been really wonderful
.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
All right.
That wraps up today's episodeof the MedLink Health
Connections podcast.
A big thank you to our guestsfor sharing how the Hawks Health
Center is making a differencein students' lives every day.
If you'd like to learn more orget connected with services,
visit us at medlinkgeorgiaorg.
Thank you for listening and, asalways, stay healthy and stay
connected.
Thank you for tuning in to theMedLink Health Connections
(11:00):
podcast.
We hope you found today'sepisode informative and
inspiring.
If you enjoyed the show, pleasesubscribe, rate and leave a
review on your favorite podcastplatform.
Remember, the informationshared in this podcast is for
educational purposes only andshould not replace professional
medical advice.
Always consult with your healthcare provider for any medical
(11:21):
concerns.
Stay connected with us onsocial media and visit our
website at medlinkgaorg for moreresources and updates.
Until next time, stay healthyand take care.
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