A second Glenbrook School Health Center intends to offer a variety of services to students and staff. The new center is scheduled to open at Glenbrook North on Aug. 5.

The center will provide point-of-care medical services that could be received at a Minute Clinic, such as testing for the flu and strep throat and earache evaluations, said Julie Shellard, assistant director of nursing services at District #225.

“All services are provided at no cost to students or staff,” said Dr. Lara Cummings, assistant superintendent of student support.

According to certified school nurse Amy Domke, the purpose of the new health center being added to GBN is to help complement services, such as the nurses’ office, already provided for students and staff throughout the school day. 

According to Shellard, “It’s different than the nurses’ office because the providers [at the center] can diagnose and treat illnesses.”

Nurses at GBN see students throughout the day for things like injuries or illnesses, and if the nurses felt there was a need for the student to be referred for further care, the student could go to the school-based health center, Domke said.

The district plans to locate the center in the F Wing, by the main office. The nurses’ office is also scheduled to be renovated and relocated next to the center.

The district was awarded a grant from the Illinois Department of Public Health to assist with funding the first year of operations, Cummings said.

The center is expected to operate about 20 hours per week initially, with hours expanded as usage increases, Cummings said.

“About four years ago, the Glenbrooks decided to partner with Advocate Health to open a school-based health center,” Cummings said.

The new center also intends to partner with Advocate Health. 

“There was a greater percentage and a greater need at Glenbrook South, and that is why [the center] was built there to begin with,” said Cummings. “And then we have four years of data now to support the usage of it.”

Staff and students can simply run downstairs, have a quick medical visit and return to their classes if healthy, instead of taking half a day off to go to the doctor’s office, Cummings said. 

“It’s a convenience for Glenbrook South right now, and we’re looking to make the same convenience for Glenbrook North,” Cummings said.