Glenbrook North High School students and staff members will soon be able to access treatment for some physical illnesses and mental health services at no cost to them through a new health center — the second school health center to open in Glenbrook High School District 225.
Dozens of people attended a ribbon cutting ceremony Aug. 7 to celebrate the new facility, a partnership between Glenbrook District 225 and Advocate Health, with district leaders saying the center aims to streamline medical care and mental health care access at the school.
“Having access within our building here to the health center services for students and staff allows for efficient and responsive care, so that we can focus on the core work of our school, which is learning,” said Glenbrook North principal Mandy Hughes during the ceremony.
Illinois State Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl of Northbrook, who represents the 57th District, spoke during the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Katz Muhl, a Democrat who is a Glenbrook North alum and parent of a recent Glenbrook North graduate, said she hopes the center will be an example for future school-based healthcare opportunities across the state.
With her support, the district received a $920,000 grant from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to fund the health center and a new nurse’s office at the school, according to an Aug. 5 District 225 press release.
The grant covered the building of the health center spaces, said Carol Smith, executive director of communication at District 225. The personnel are Advocate staff members, and the district pays a management fee to Advocate, similarly to how it pays a food service company that covers salary and benefits for workers, she added.
Katz Muhl told the Pioneer Press that she views the center as a way for students to more easily access medical and mental health options during the busy school week.
“This is where I might send my daughter if she called from school and said she had a sore throat, or she was looking to talk to a counselor but we wanted to make sure that it happened during a school day,” said Muhl.
“Or, if she needed a vaccine and we couldn’t get an appointment quickly during off-school hours, she could fit it in during a study hall.”
The center will provide both students and teachers with access to baseline healthcare and mental health services, including sick visits, physicals, lab testing, vaccines and counseling, according to Laura Yurisich, a practice manager for Advocate Health and staff member at the Glenbrook North Health Center.
“We can do POC [Point-of-Care lab testing] to see if you do have flu, if you have strep fluid, and we can set you up for medicine right away,” she said.
“You may or may not be able to go back to the classroom, but then you’re starting on a treatment plan. Same thing for the staff too.”
Yurisich added that there will be a referral process in place for students who need more specialized care, connecting them with other specialists within the Advocate network.
For students who are uninsured, she said the staff will work to provide resources such as helping sign students up for Medicaid services, giving options for payment plans or referring them to a free clinic that is closest to where they live.
The new center expands on the district’s existing health center at Glenbrook South High School, which opened in 2023. The Glenbrook South Health Center was funded through a combination of a $250,000 Congress Community Project Funding grant and $1.09 million in FEMA reimbursements for previously submitted COVID-19 expenses, according to the district press release.
Even though the health centers are located within separate schools, students and staff members can use services at either location and request transportation if needed.
Dr. Joanna Lewis, a medical director of the Glenbrook South Health Center, said the centers will offer the same medical and mental health services, though the Glenbrook South Center has more space to accommodate the larger student population.
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The Glenbrook North Health Center includes one exam room and one mental health room, while Glenbrook South’s has three exam rooms and two mental health rooms, Lewis said.
Additionally, the Glenbrook North location is staffed with a nurse practitioner, a medical assistant and a clinical therapist. At Glenbrook South, there are currently two nurse practitioners, a medical assistant and a therapist. Lewis explained the nurse practitioners and the therapist will split their time between the two health centers.
“No matter where they’re a student, they can be seen at South, and if they want to be seen at North, the same,” said Lewis. “So for the last few years, many students from North have had to come to South and now they won’t have to do that. But if they choose to, they can.”
Yurisich and Lewis also said it is important for the staff to not interrupt students’ care with their primary doctor, and as a result, the centers use the same electronic medical record system to communicate with other physicians and share notes.
The Glenbrook North Health Center will be open to the school community starting Aug.17. Both centers are open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.