Growing up in Meridian, Wanda Lloyd wished she had a health clinic in her community. 

“We needed something during my time, of course,” said Lloyd, recalling visits to the local health department for immunizations and other routine medical care.

While that office served some of her needs, Lloyd found it lacking when it came to wellness, nutrition,  and overall health awareness. 

Now, as an adult, Lloyd is hoping to be part of the solution, using her skills to improve the health of the community. 

She’s a nurse with the Greater Meridian Health Clinic, which, through a partnership with the Meridian Public School District, opened a clinic near T.J. Harris Upper Elementary six months ago.

In addition to serving students and school staff, the clinic also serves residents of Frank Berry Courts. 

Expanding to the neighborhood was an easy decision, said Wilbert Jones, CEO of Greater Meridian Health Clinic, which opened in 1989 to provide affordable healthcare in Lauderdale, Noxubee, Kemper, Winston and Oktibbeha counties. Last year, the clinic served an estimated 11,000 patients.  

“It was a natural fit, the next step was to make it happen,” Jones said.  

Building on a relationship

Pull Quote

“Looking at the long range, the goal is to have a healthy student, healthy community and a healthy workforce.”

Kelli Speed, director of federal programs with the Meridian Public School District

Kelli Speed, director of federal programs with the Meridian Public School District, said that over the years, the need for community-based medical care has increased. After looking at other districts to see how they are handling the issue, school officials met with Jones and decided to establish the clinics at Meridian schools. 

“The time was right,” Speed said.

In addition to the new clinic near Frank Berry Courts, The Greater Meridian Health Clinic has two smaller offices serving Carver Junior High and Meridian High School. Between January 2018 and January 2019, 323 patients were served at the school-based clinics. Those numbers include school staff and students.  

The Frank Berry Courts clinic is fully functioning, and similar to a doctor’s office. Services offered  include healthy child screenings, wellness checks, vaccinations and family health checks. The clinic charges a fee and accepts insurance. If a patient does not have insurance, they are set up with a payment plan. 

During the winter months, the clinic usually sees patients with the flu, upper respiratory problems and strep throat. On a daily basis, the clinic handles wellness visits such as hypertension and diabetes, according to Lloyd. 

One goal of the clinic is to get people in the habit of going to the doctor on a regular basis, and not waiting until they are sick to seek medical care. 

“If you can catch things early, then it will stop the advancement of certain things,” Lloyd said.

BY THE NUMBERS

In a 2018 profile on Mississippi, Lauderdale County had 44.4 percent of its residents in excellent health, 31.3 percent in good health and 24.3 percent in poor health between 2011 and 2015. Statewide, 44.1 percent of the population was in excellent health, 32.3 percent were in good health and 23.6 percent were in poor health during the same time period.

Between 2011 and 2015, 45 percent of Lauderdale County residents and 41.7 percent of Mississippi residents had hypertension, while 29.3 percent of Lauderdale County residents and 35.1 percent of Mississippi residents were obese. Seventy percent of residents reported being overweight, and 82 percent reported taking hypertension medication.

Source: Mississippi Department of Health

Lloyd noted that’s helpful when young patients seek treatment, because that builds the habit of going to the doctor. If children establish and learn healthy habits when they are young, they are more likely to have those same habits when they become adults, Jones said.  

Making sure children stay healthy also helps with the learning process, Jones said.  

A convenient option

Speed often uses the clinic because it’s more convenient than going to her primary care doctor. She can just walk down from her office when she is not feeling well, she noted.  

When Kelly McVay, principal of T.J. Harris Lower Elementary, came down with the flu a few weeks ago, she walked to the clinic.   

“I was just in and out,” said McVay, who encourages parents and students to use the clinic.  

McVay hopes the Frank Berry site benefits the community, because residents can get medical care at the clinic instead of going to the hospital. 

Down the road, Jones hopes to expand the clinics to other campuses across the school district. Other plans include telemedicine and a mobile dental unit that would focus on screening fifth graders.

Telemedicine would allow a nurse to take a patient’s vitals at one location, then read the information to a doctor at another location.

With more clinics and a mobile unit, more students and their families could be served, Speed said.  

“Looking at the long range, the goal is to have a healthy student, healthy community and a healthy workforce,” she said.