Governor DeWine Celebrates New School-Based Health Clinic in Leesburg

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(Leesburg) – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine visited the Fairfield Local School District in Highland County November 10th to take part in a ribbon cutting for the new Highland Health Partners Leesburg Family Medicine school-based health clinic.

The health clinic was built on the district’s K-12 campus with more than $3.2 million in grant funding awarded as part of Governor DeWine’s Appalachian Children’s Health Initiative. Through a partnership with Highland Health Partners, the clinic will offer primary care services for students, staff, and the broader Leesburg community.  

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.

Governor DeWine also toured the Fairfield Local School District’s new workforce development Innovation Learning Lab, which was also supported through the $3.2 million grant.

“This new clinic and Innovation Learning Lab will help set students up for success both physically and educationally,” said Governor DeWine. “By enhancing access to health care and workforce readiness, we are setting Ohio students up to achieve their God-given potential.”

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.