Edgewater High School opens free healthcare clinic for students

Edgewater High School had its official open house today for its new free health clinic.

The clinic provides medical attention from a licensed pediatric nurse practitioner who can give out proper medication to students so they can feel better and promptly get back to class.

Since its opening for students this year the clinic has already seen some serious results. Nurse Darcy Ravndal said her clinic has a 97% student return to class rate; meaning that after students come to see her almost all of them return back to class instead of missing school and going home.

"The 97% return to class rate is just phenomenal," said Superintendent of Orange County Public Schools Dr. Barbara Jenkins.

Edgewater has worked closely with the Florida Department of Health in Orange County and Florida Hospital on this project. Without the hospital's funding and medical services, school officials said the clinic wouldn't even be possible.

Jenkins hopes that this new clinic will help the students achieve better grades because their health issues will be taken care of.

Students from schools that feed into Edgewater are also eligible for the free medical care.