Barren County Schools have a new health service provider

GLASGOW Ky. – On Dec. 31, the Barren River Health District Health Department will be suspending health services in schools. The Barren County schools have a solution to this. A new partnership is already set up.

The new partnership is with the Cumberland Family Medical Centers. Director of special programs at the Barren County Schools Cynthia York said she’s looking forward to seeing what the new partner will bring to the table.

“We are excited to begin a new chapter with them because of the ending of the partnership with the Barren River Health Department, which we had been in partnership with for about 10 years,” York said.

The proposal for Cumberland Family Medical was received along with others, but it was ultimately chosen due to its offered services, including mental health and dental services in schools. Cumberland Family Medical is the parent company of Glasgow Pediatric Healthcare, and pediatrician Melissa Dennison said she’s thrilled that more health professionals will be coming to the schools.

“I’m extremely excited. I think it’s a great partnership between the Barren County Schools, and a great partnership between Cumberland Family,” Dennison said.

In her day-to-day job, Dennison works with kids on the autism spectrum, and she said having professionals for this reason is schools is a great benefit.

“I do a lot of work with children with autism, children with attention deficit disorder. If we have to put children on those medications, it’ll be great to have a nurse in that school who can give feedback on whether we’re doing a good job or not,” Dennison said.

While schools are a place meant to educate the next generation, York said it’s also a place for health.

“We want to continue to provide not only academic services to meet all needs of the children in our district, and that means health services as well. Once that decision was made, I think it was definitely a sigh of relief for the district to know that we will continue having quality service for our students,” York said.