A health clinic will be opening in the Steinbach Regional Secondary School in early November.

Superintendent Randy Dueck says they are working together with Southern Health and the clinic will be an extension of the Steinbach Family Medical Centre to provide a health service to students of the Hanover School Division. Dueck notes they are receiving funding through grants Southern Health received, however, the division is picking up a piece of the cost to provide a receptionist.

"So what we will have is a full-time nurse practitioner-staffed there at the school," notes Dueck. "That nurse practitioner can do physicals, check-ups, blood work, specimen collection, diagnostic testing, prescriptions, immunizations, counselling for mental health, there's a full reproductive health program, health education, and disease prevention. There's a wide-range that a nurse practitioner can provide for them."

Dueck says by providing easier access to health care they're hoping to see healthier students who miss less school due to illness.

"It is important that all young adults have access to health care services when they are most needed," says CEO of Southern Health-Santé Sud, Kathy McPhail. "Moving to an interdisciplinary care model, we will have a nurse practitioner available at the site and this will group together a number of available services into this one place, providing a team approach to wellness and health care.”

 With over 1.700 students at SRSS and just shy of 8.000 students in the division Dueck notes HSD is a village and should have specific services.

The clinic will be open on days school is in session from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed for lunch, and operate on an appointment schedule.