Officials are hopeful that a health clinic at Madison Elementary School on Wheeling Island will be ready to open by the time students return in August. (File Photo)

WHEELING — The buildout of a health care clinic at Madison Elementary School is in the process, but Ohio County administrators aren’t sure yet when it will be operational.

“It’s not completely ready yet. We are waiting for final inspections,” Superintendent Kim Miller said.

She has expressed hope the facility will be finished by the start of the new year.

“That’s definitely the plan, but who knows what comes up,” Miller continued. “I’m excited for the kids. I would hope it would be available for the fall semester.”

David Crumm, director of operations for Ohio County Schools, said earlier this week that he feels confident the clinic will be ready in time to serve students when school starts.

The school district has received a permit for a needed wheelchair lift for the clinic, he noted. In addition, the West Virginia Fire Marshal’s Office has approved the clinic space. Crumm expects WVU Medicine-Wheeling Hospital to begin moving in furniture later this week.

Miller noted there will be an upcoming ceremony to unveil the health clinic, with the date to be announced.

In November, Ohio County Board of Education members approved a memorandum of understanding with WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital to start a medical clinic at Madison Elementary School.

Under the policy, the clinic would start out by treating only students at Madison to initially avoid the privacy issues of treating older youths.

The MOU states that WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital will oversee the clinic and provide a nurse practitioner, who would be present at Madison School for a total of eight hours per week.

The policy calls for consent forms to be sent home for parents to sign at the start of the school year. Then, if a child seems ill at school, an administrator will call the parent and ask if they permit their child to go see the nurse practitioner at the clinic.

The parent would have the option to come to the school for the examination if they so wished. Otherwise, they would be called with the results of the examination.