New clinic to provide pediatric, dental care to Excelsior Springs students
MARC Head Start, Swope Health Services and Excelsior Springs Early Childhood Center (ECC) received a $44,000 T-Mobile Hometown Grant to help establish the Swope Health KidsCARE clinic at the Excelsior Springs ECC.
In a ceremonial check presentation on Sept. 28, representatives from T-Mobile, the Excelsior Springs School District, MARC Head Start, Excelsior Springs ECC and members of the community celebrated the gift and the clinic, which will be located at the Excelsior Springs ECC, 500 N. Jesse James Road, Excelsior Springs, Missouri.
Due to the lack of pediatric providers in the Excelsior Springs area, MARC Head Start, Excelsior Springs ECC and the Swope Health Services KidsCare Program partnered to open a school-based health program to address the need for primary pediatric medical and dental services.
Swope Health has long provided mobile pediatric health care and dental services through a partnership with the MARC Head Start program and Excelsior Springs schools. The new Swope Health KidsCARE clinic will feature a total of three exam rooms, providing preventive, early intervention and treatment services covering medical, dental, behavioral health care and optometry services. The Excelsior Springs School District has 2,900 students; 58 percent are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch programs.
MARC Head Start Health Manager Sandra Reece said it is rewarding to see the health clinic receive community and business support.
“We’ve been on this journey for a long time,” Reece said. “And just to see it grow is amazing. I thank T-Mobile. And I also thank Swope Health Services for answering the call for the need to provide health services here for children in Excelsior Springs. I’m so grateful.”
Jeron Ravin, J.D., Swope Health president and CEO, attended the ceremony and expressed his thanks.
“This generous grant from T-Mobile accelerates our delivery of pediatric care to students in Excelsior Springs. A dedicated clinic in the learning center means kids will have easy access to quality health care and dental care,” Ravin said.
Kenneth Thomas, M.D., Swope Health executive vice president for children’s services, said the clinic has a shared commitment to supporting the health, well-being and academic success of children.
“When children have access to health care, they do better in school. And when children do better in school, their potential for success in life improves,” Thomas said.
Mark Bullimore, Ed.D., Excelsior Springs School District’s director of communications, said everyone is looking forward to providing access to quality care and support services.
“KidsCARE will provide our students and families another option to receive the health care they need, within our own facilities, that they may not otherwise receive,” Bullimore said.
Each quarter, T-Mobile awards Hometown Grants for up to 25 towns with a population of less than 50,000. Anyone with a vision for how to make their community stronger can apply.
“At T-Mobile, we go way beyond wireless to do what’s right for communities across the country,” said Jon Freier, president, T-Mobile Consumer Group. “Through Hometown Grants, we’re empowering people in small towns and rural America to make a difference where they live, and the results have been incredibly inspiring.”