VINCENT, Ohio — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine visited the Warren Local School District in Washington County Friday, August 22 to celebrate the grand opening of the district’s new school-based health clinic.
The new Warrior Care Clinic was built with funding from a $1.3 million grant awarded as part of Governor DeWine’s Appalachian Children’s Health Initiative. Through a partnership with Hopewell Health Centers, the clinic will offer primary and behavioral healthcare for Warren Local School District students, staff, and families. The clinic is also open to the public.
“This effort was born out of our commitment to ensuring every child in Ohio’s Appalachian region has the resources they need to live up to their God-given potential,” said Governor DeWine. “Every child should have the same ability to see a doctor, get well, and get back to learning.”
School-based healthcare has been shown to significantly reduce barriers to accessing essential health services, leading to improved physical, behavioral, and academic outcomes for students.
The Appalachian Children’s Health Initiative has invested more than $64 million to support the creation or expansion of community- and school-based health clinics, as well as the launch of healthcare-focused workforce development programs. The funding was divided among 28 projects that are expected to impact 61,000 students and 375,000 area residents in 20 Appalachian counties.
The initiative is part of the larger Appalachian Community Grant Program that has committed $500 million to strengthen Ohio’s 32-county Appalachian region. Governor DeWine spearheaded this unprecedented investment with support from the Ohio General Assembly in 2022.
