Governor DeWine Celebrates New
Gallia Academy High School Wellness Center
(GALLIPOLIS, Ohio)— Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today celebrated the opening of a new school-based health clinic serving Gallipolis and surrounding Gallia County.
The new Gallia Academy High School Wellness Center was built with support from a $2.6 million grant awarded as part of Governor DeWine's Appalachian Children's Health Initiative. In partnership with Holzer Health System, the new clinic will serve school students, staff, and their families, as well as the broader community. It will offer primary care services, behavioral healthcare, and vision services.
"This new clinic will help meet an essential need in this community, offering healthcare services that are convenient and accessible," said Governor DeWine. "Putting this clinic on the Gallipolis City School District's campus will improve students' health and keep them in their classrooms, leading to better graduation rates and a stronger workforce in the future."
School-based healthcare has been shown to significantly reduce barriers to accessing essential health services, leading to improved physical, behavioral, and academic outcomes for students.
The Appalachian Children's Health Initiative has invested more than $64 million to support the creation or expansion of community- and school-based health clinics, as well as the launch of healthcare-focused workforce development programs. The funding was divided among 28 projects that are expected to impact 61,000 students and 375,000 area residents in 20 Appalachian counties.
The initiative is part of the larger Appalachian Community Grant Program that has committed $500 million to strengthen Ohio’s 32-county Appalachian region. Governor DeWine spearheaded this unprecedented investment with support from the Ohio General Assembly in 2022.
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