South Messenger - September 19th, 2021

www.columbusmessenger.com
Mobile health clinic services coming to Hamilton Schools
PAGE 8 - MESSENGER - September 19, 2021
By Linda Dillman
Staff Writer
Nationwide Children’s Hospital will bring its services to
the Hamilton Local School District via a mobile clinic in an
effort to address the health care needs of the community’s
student population.
Starting Sept. 17, the mobile unit will visit the high
school building. On Oct. 1, the unit makes its first visit to
the elementary, intermediate, and middle school buildings.
Hamilton Schools Public Relations Director Kaitlin
Duncan said the mobile unit will be on campus twice a
month on Fridays until the end of the school year.
The hospital outreach program is a result of discussions
between the district and NCH when the school district
started scheduling vaccination clinics at the high school
last winter.
The mobile health care service runs through the end of
Dr. Hobbs
3700 Parsons Ave.
Columbus, OH 43207
New Patients & Emergencies Always Welcome
(614) 491-5511
www.ScottAKellyDDS.com
CLEANING HIDDEN AREAS
Dental plaque is the primary
cause of tooth decay and gum
disease. A toothbrush can help
remove plaque from visible
surfaces but not from between
the teeth and under the gumline.
Unwaxed floss is needed for these
hidden areas...Here's how:
Cut off about 18 inches of floss
and wrap the ends around your
middle fingers, leaving about 2
inches between your hands.
Guide it with your thumbs for the
upper teeth and index fingers for
the lowers. Pass the floss gently
between two teeth, sliding
several times to the gum and back
along the side of one tooth.
Repeat the scraping on the side of
Dr. Kelly
the adjacent tooth and move on
until all teeth are flossed.
A word of caution: Try never to
snap the floss suddenly between
two teeth as the gums may be
sensitive. Use a gentle, sawing
motion. If your gums bleed, you
may be flossing too hard, or the
gums may be in poor health.
Don't be shy. Have your dentist or
hygienist demonstrate the flossing
method to you.
Prepared as a public service
to promote better dental health.
From the office of:
SCOTT A. KELLY, D.D.S.
Phone 614-491-5511
the school year.
“Michelle, the NCH employee that runs the mobile
units, reached out and asked us if there was a need for it,”
said Duncan. “After the first couple of sessions, we will reevaluate
where the biggest need is and determine where
the mobile unit should visit more. Michelle actually grew
up just south of us and went to Teays Valley, so she knows
the surrounding area and is working hard to get the
mobile units covering the area more south of Columbus.”
Services are the same for each campus area and include
pediatric primary care such as checkups, treating asthma,
assisting with work permit physicals, and more.
The services are not meant to replace a student’s normal
health care provider, but to help when families cannot
make it to see a pediatrician or family doctor.
Students can request appointments through the school
nurse to be seen for whatever they need. They can do this
ahead of time if they know the mobile unit is coming to
their campus, or they can do this the day they need to be
The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission is
seeking public comment and review of the draft version
of its 2021 update to the Regional Complete
Streets Policy.
“Complete streets” are roadways designed, implemented,
operated, and maintained in an equitable and
context-sensitive manner so that people of all ages,
incomes, and abilities can use them safely. These
streets consider the needs of those who are: walking,
bicycling, using shared mobility devices and assistive
devices, using transit and riding school buses, driving,
and operating commercial and emergency vehicles.
“As a region, we strive to support the development
of a safe and sustainable transportation system that
ensures accessibility for everyone using it,” MORPC
Assistant Director of Planning & Sustainability
Stephen Patchan said. “Through the Complete Streets
Policy — which is guided by MORPC members — local
communities incorporate design elements that accommodate
all roadway users in any MORPC federally
funded projects.”
MORPC’s current Complete Streets Policy was
adopted in 2010 — one of the first of such policies
adopted at the regional scale in the nation. Since then,
several local jurisdictions in Central Ohio have adopted
their own complete streets policies, resolutions, or
ordinances.
Once the updated policy is adopted, it will apply to
all projects seeking federal funding for transportationrelated
projects from MORPC, beginning with the
seen.
Duncan said the visits are typically covered by family
insurance. However, no student will be turned away from
the mobile unit for lack of insurance or funding.
“If they don’t have insurance or struggle financially,
NCH will work with the families on a solution for the student,”
said Duncan. “The mobile unit can do a follow-up
the next time they are on campus, or they will recommend
them to a pediatrician’s office. We know that not everyone
in our community has access to the best health care, or
even the ability to see a doctor regularly. We wanted to
provide the mobile unit to make it easier for families to get
the care they need, and to keep our students healthy.”
According to Duncan, school nurse Chelsea Snider, a
class of 2010 Hamilton Township alumni, has been very
hands-on with the project and also worked at Nationwide
Children’s Hospital for seven years before she joined the
district staff.
MORPC to update Complete Streets Policy
summer 2022 round of funding. The grant is awarded
to communities within MORPC’s federally designated
metropolitan transportation planning area that
includes: Delaware County; Franklin County; Bloom
and Violet townships in Fairfield County; New Albany,
Pataskala, and Etna Township in Licking County; and
Jerome Township in Union County.
“The updated Complete Streets Policy aligns with
future-focused regional planning efforts in Central
Ohio communities and provides for additional design
flexibility so that projects can incorporate inclusive
street design,” MORPC Director of Transportation &
Infrastructure Development Thea Ewing said. “By
updating to these modern standards, regional communities
will continue to build public transportation
infrastructure projects in a manner that supports safety,
multimodal mobility and resiliency at a time of historical
population growth.”
The public is encouraged to comment on the proposed
policy, which can be viewed on the Complete
Streets webpage at morpc.org. Email comments to
lcardoni@morpc.org or in writing to MORPC, 111
Liberty St., Suite 100, Columbus, OH 43215, Attn:
Lauren Cardoni, by 5 p.m. Oct. 22.
The updated Complete Streets Policy will be considered
for adoption at MORPC’s Community Advisory
Committee, Transportation Advisory Committee, and
Transportation Policy Committee meetings in
November.
Red Cross needs volunteer drivers
The American Red Cross needs transportation
specialists in central Ohio to
deliver blood.
These volunteer drivers will either pick
up blood products from the Red Cross processing
facility at 995 E. Broad St. and
deliver the boxes to area hospitals and/or
pick up blood from drive locations around
central Ohio and deliver it to Broad Street.
Transportation specialists help ensure
that blood products are available when and
where they are needed for hospital use
such as for trauma victims, surgery
patients, those receiving cancer and sickle
cell treatment among other serious medical
conditions.
The American Red Cross is experiencing
a severe blood shortage as the number of
trauma cases, organ transplants and elective
surgeries rise — and deplete the
nation’s blood inventory.
No special transportation license is
needed for this position. Volunteers will
drive Red Cross cars or standard mini
vans. To be eligible, prospective volunteers
must have a valid driver’s license, three
years driving experience and a safe driving
record. Transportation specialists must be
able to lift 45 pounds.
To learn more about becoming a Red
Cross transportation specialist go to
www.redcross.org/deliver.