Owensboro Health | Lift | September 2019

Muhlenberg County School Board Superintendent Robby Davis looks a little like Rocky Balboa and can certainly be tough when he needs to be but — mostly — he’s a big softie. He’s got a heart for the kids of Muhlenberg County and has spent his whole life working to make sure every kid in the county gets a good education, regardless of what life is like at home. Now, that same mindset is bringing healthcare to all of the children in Mr. Davis’ care. He and Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital (OHMCH) Chief Operating Officer Ed Heath are working together to make health a priority in Muhlenberg County schools. “We have a really great working relationship,” said Davis of Heath. “We want the same thing, and that’s what’s best for our kids.” Heath agreed, noting that, “The most important thing is that we support our community, and our students make up a fifth of the entire county’s population. We can really make a big impact just by serving that group.” Health professionals on-site One way that OHMCH serves is by sponsoring the salary of the nurse or medical technician on-site at each school. These medical professionals are able to distribute medication as needed, but they also take care of medical concerns ranging from scraped knees to the flu. When county teachers have a concern about a student, they can always ask the nurse for a consult to see if the problem is easily solved or requires a call home and a visit to a local doctor. Having a medical professional to make this call saves classroom time and prevents the spread of communicable diseases. Keeping kids healthy OHMCH team members also provide yearly school health assessments for every child, grades kindergarten through eight, free of charge. The assessments measure general fitness and track kids with chronic illness or disabilities, measuring their progress from year to year. OHMCH staff travels to each school, providing access to the assessment without requiring any special effort on the behalf of parents. There is a permission form that needs to be returned, but the rate of return is almost 100%. Sports physicals are also free and open to any child participating in a school-sponsored athletic team. The physicals are typically held in the early spring months. This year physicals took place at the Healthplex in Powderly, a central location for the vast majority of families in the area and just down the road from the high school and middle schools. Attendance was at a record high as student participation in sports increased. Student health It’s a group project “The most important thing is that we support our community, and our students make up a fifth of the entire county’s population. We can really make a big impact just by serving that group.” —Ed Heath, Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital Chief Operating Officer Momentum A MUHLENBERG COUNTY SPECIAL SECTION 2 • Momentum