Las Cruces schools lose health clinic
Are school-based health centers on their way out of the Las Cruces Public School District? At a board meetinglast night, it was announced that a vendor is ending its contract with two local high schools starting in January.
The issue had some atlast night’s meeting feeling a little uneasy. But officials with the district are optimistic they’ll find a replacement.
Starting January 1st, Las Cruces and Onate High Schools will no longer have school based health centers, but they will still have school nurses.
The health centers currently provide more extensive care for things like earaches, sore throats and even mental health counseling. Some fear the move will be dangerous for students, especially those who rely on pregnancy and mental health councilors.
But superintendent Stan Rounds says the clinics shouldn’t be the first option for students. He stresses that student health remains a top priority.
“We’re working on solutions right now as a district to help assure that we can retain these school based health clinics and while those aren’t finalized, I feel very optimistic that we will have a solutions in place so there should be no interruption of our standard practice,” Rounds said.
“They are now having a very short amount of time to sit down with the kids in December saying this is the last time I’m going to see you, I won’t be here in January. That set of kids is what concerns me most,” Dr. Earl Nissen, chairman of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention work group, said.
Nissen says two schools in the Gadsden district are losing their clinics as well. Rounds says three other schools in the district are not affected because they’re contracted with a different provider.
