WHEELING — The idea of a free health clinic at Madison Elementary School through a partnership with WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital is again being discussed by school officials.

Ohio County Board of Education members got an update Tuesday night on where the project stands. A proposed memorandum of understanding would establish the clinic at Madison Elementary School in partnership with the hospital.

Previously, the board expressed concerns about the cost of renovating a space at the school for the clinic, who would pay for it, and whether parents would be required to provide permission anytime their child requests treatment at the clinic.

Leah Stout, special education director for Ohio County Schools, told board members that, over the past month, she and other central office employees have been meeting to review an updated MOU.

She indicated there have been surveys of the space at the school, and estimates of just what renovations might cost to turn a school area at Madison into a health care facility.

A free dental clinic already operates at Madison.

Additionally, school officials have been seeking out funding from foundations to cover any renovation costs. These include the Benedum Foundation, the Mylan Puskar Foundation, and the Sisters of St. Joseph, according to Stout.

The expected price of construction is $175,000, she reported.

Stout added WVU Medicine has agreed to provide any necessary equipment, as well as pay for a nurse practitioner and a scheduler for the clinic.

Ohio County is one of only about seven counties in West Virginia where students do not have access to free health care, she said. She cited Benedum Foundation data that there are more than 200 clinics in the state assisting school districts with providing free health care to students.

The care ranges from providing physicals to students athletes and immunizations to building a rapport with families who may not otherwise seek out health care, she continued.

Stout explained she and Superintendent Kim Miller met with attorney Jacob Manning, legal counsel for the school district, to review the proposed MOU with WVU Medicine.

The MOU states that medical care cannot be provided to students without the permission of the students’ parents or legal guardians — except in the instances of life-threatening emergencies, or under a “perceived duty of care.”

At least in the beginning, the clinic would only serve students at Madison. The intent is to “start slow,” Miller explained. Employees of Ohio County Schools also would be permitted to seek free health care at the clinic.

On Nov. 14, central office employees met with representatives of the three foundations, and with Jessica Rine, associate vice president of Foundations and Community Relations for WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital.

Each of the parties “felt confident” in the MOU changes made by the district, and were open to discussing the financing of the needed renovations for the space at Madison.

The intent would be to start construction this summer.

Miller said the intent of the clinic is not just to introduce regular health care to some students and their families who may not seek it, but also to help keep students healthy, in the classroom and learning.

She noted initial plans call for the school-based clinic to operate eight hours a week — likely for four hours, two days each week.

“We’re trying to start small so we have success,” Miller said. “If in fact we are in a place where we can grow, we will do that when we feel comfortable with where we are.”

Board member Erik Schramm noted the dental clinic at Madison School is open to all students in the district. But Miller responded that the dental clinic is by appointment only, and that the free health care clinic could eventually grow to that point.

Schramm, an attorney, suggested the permission policy section of the MOU more closely mirror that of the prescription drug policy of the dental clinic. Stout said she would speak to Manning about that.

Board member Molly Aderholt — also an attorney — noted state law doesn’t require providers to notify parents when their child seeks health care in some instances. This includes when they are feeling a high from drugs, want to talk about having an abortion, think they may have a sexually transmitted disease or want to seek birth control.

She has concerns the school district could not put in place requirements more stringent than those already in state code.

“The MOU would have to be more specific in my opinion,” Aderholt said. “It’s pretty vague.”

She contends a parent should be contacted “before each and every time” their child visits the clinic.

Aderholt does think a free clinic is needed for those on Wheeling Island, but she isn’t certain it should be located within the school. She wondered why one couldn’t be located instead at an outside location near the school.

Stout said she would take board members’ comments and concerns about the proposed MOU back to Manning.

The board is next scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. on Dec. 11 at the board office, 2203 National Road, Wheeling.

They also have set a work session tentatively for 8 a.m. Dec. 12 to discuss how best to spend excess levy funds. That meeting will also take place at the board office.