Healthy and happy students are better learners. Healthy and happy families are better supporters, and healthy and happy educators are better teachers.
As students in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama get ready to return to school, Atrium Health Floyd is ready to support students and their families on campus, on the sidelines and after school.
As the official health care provider for Floyd County Schools, Rome City Schools, Darlington Schools and the Polk School District, Atrium Health Floyd offers either in-person or telehealth care for students and teachers on every campus.
Atrium Health Floyd manages the school nurse programs for Floyd County and Rome City Schools as well as the Polk School District. In addition, Atrium Health Floyd provides a certified athletic trainer to each of the high schools in Floyd County Schools, Polk County Schools, Rome City Schools, Unity Christian School, Trion City Schools, Chattooga County Schools as well as Darlington School, Cass High School, Adairsville High School and Woodland High School.
Atrium Health Floyd also operates a full-service, primary care clinic at the College and Career Academy on the Rome High School campus.
“Establishing early access to health care services is critical to student success and a healthy community,” said Chris Butler, director of Corporate Health at Atrium Health Floyd. “Students learn best when they are well. They are more likely to choose to live in our communities and become leaders here when they have a solid educational base.”
Providing these services on campus benefits students, teachers and parents. Approximately half of the students who received a telehealth visit while at school were able to return to the classroom, Butler said. This eliminated a parent having to miss work, a student missing important instruction and an interruption for teachers.
School clinics also can help parents get their students ready for the new school year by providing hearing and vision tests, immunizations and other preventive health services.
They also provide peace of mind for parents of children who have medical conditions that may require monitoring or intervention, Butler said.
“Our school nurses are well prepared to provide the care students need, connect students and parents to health care providers when further care is needed and to support teachers and administrators in minimizing health-related disruptions and optimizing student learning,” Butler said.
