VINCENT — A local school district will receive $1.3 million for a school-based health clinic.

Warren Local Schools will be awarded $1,381,118 for an onsite school-based health clinic as part of the Appalachian Children’s Health Initiative.

According to a press release from Gov. Mike DeWine, $64 million will be awarded to the Appalachian Children Coalition as part of the Appalachian Children’s Health Initiative to support the creation or expansion of community-based and school-based health clinics, the launch of healthcare-focused workforce development programs and more. The Appalachian Children’s Health Initiative is funded by the Appalachian Community Grant Program, which provides planning and development grants to Ohio’s 32 Appalachian counties, according to the governor’s office website.

The Appalachian Children Coalition is a group of behavioral health, K-12 education and other organizations that serves Ohio’s 32 Appalachian counties and whose goal it is to improve the health and well-being of the children in the region through collective advocacy and strategic investments, according to its website.

According to Warren Local Schools Superintendent Kyle Newton, the district will use the funds to renovate extra space it has in Building 6, which houses the gym and auditorium, and turn it into a clinic that consists of three or four exam rooms, a reception area, office and lab space, employee break space, a secure staff entrance and a separate public entrance.

Newton said the clinic will have its own separate parking area in space that is currently used for high school pickup and drop off. He said the parking area will still be used for pickup and drop off too. Newton said he hopes the clinic will provide care that people are not really getting in the area.

“In our region acute care … is quickly going away” because a lot of doctors don’t have room for new patients or they are retiring or dealing with other things, he said.

The school district also wants the clinic to “keep our dedicated teachers and staff from having to miss,

That’s a huge deal for them and for us.”

The clinic will also help the community because it is a huge deal for parents to have to leave work to take their child to a doctor.

“Our goal is that we lessen that burden,” he said.

Newtwon emphasized that students will use the clinic, but not without their parents having knowledge of them using it.

The school district has not started the design work for the renovations yet, he said.

Warren Local Schools is also a partner with several other school districts who will receive funds through the same program to offer mobile school-based eye care. Warren Local Schools, Athen City Schools,

Wellston City Schools, Chillicothe City Schools, Union Scioto Local Schools and Adena Local schools, which serve Washington, Athens, Jackson and Ross Counties, will be awarded at total of $575,000, with $334,300 going to the Athens mobile vision program and $240,700 going to the Ross mobile vision program, according to the website.

Athens Eye Care LLC, Hocking Hills Eye Care and Dr. Partiricate A. Haller will work with the school districts to provide schools based vision care to at-risk students.

The providers will travel to the various school districts and give comprehensive eye exams and diagnose vision or ocular problems using mobile eye exam equipment. It is expected the program will result in more than 2,300 eye exams given across the school districts, the website said.

“Eye care (is) one of the areas that (is) really hard for people to get into because of the cost. (The mobile eye care program) is a really cool opportunity to be part of,” Newton said.

Michelle Dillon can be reached at mdillon@newsandsentinel.com