UNION CITY, Ga. — At any given high school, there's only so much help a school nurse can give.
"The school nurse can't prescribe medication. They can't really diagnose conditions," Family Health Centers of Georgia President and CEO Dr. Michael Brooks said. "They don't do behavioral health."
The families at Benjamin Banneker High School in south Fulton County struggle to access some of those services outside of school too. That's where a new school-based health center, in partnership with The Family Health Centers of Georgia, can help.
"This is a response to the closing of major medical centers because if you look at this area, it is really a health desert. There's no real immediate access to health care," Dr. Brooks said. "Since our first school-based health center in 2013, we're able to demonstrate that there are less missed days of school because of center there."
Banneker principal Vincent Williams said the school has struggled with attendance. He hopes this health center is the missing piece.
"In order for students to learn, they have to be in school. So, this is an opportunity to remove all aspects of illness, sickness, anything that kids may be facing that will keep them from school," he said. "We have a lack of pediatricians in this area. This is an awesome opportunity for our students to come to school, get the services they need, and continue on with their education."
The Georgia Department of Education said there are 119 school-based health centers in the state, about half of which are mobile units. Those centers include locations within Atlanta and DeKalb County.
Fulton County Schools Director of District Health Services Lynne Meadows said she's thrilled Banneker High is now joining that list.
"As we gain the trust of our parents and the community and they know that this health center is here... they will then look to the school-based health centers, hopefully, for some of those things that not that aren't emergencies or urgent care visits," Meadows said. "We believe that is a game changer because if you have an illness or injury, again, there's health services that are right here on site to be able to address those."
The school-based health center at Banneker High is open to students from feeder schools, as well as its current students and families.