Gundersen opens family medicine clinic in Hamilton Elementary School

Back to newsroom

Gundersen opens family medicine clinic in Hamilton Elementary School

For students and staff members at Hamilton Elementary School and SOTA I, being seen by a Gundersen Health System family medicine provider just got a whole lot easier.

Earlier this month, after several years of dedicated work, Gundersen opened a Family Medicine Residency Clinic within the school building in its new community room wing. Each week on Tuesday morning, the clinic will be staffed by one attending and one resident, who can see patients for things like wellness exams, illnesses, injuries and even mood and behavioral issues.

It's open to all Hamilton/SOTA I students and their household family members, as well as school staff. Providers will also coordinate with the school nurse to provide support for medical mishaps that office sees throughout the day.

The clinic is just another example of the relationship Gundersen has established over the years with its neighborhood school. Medical residents are regulars on campus, playing kickball with students at their annual back to school night, participating in monthly family nights and organizing educational opportunities.

"We've been developing a relationship with our neighbor school for quite some time, and it's been very rewarding," says Robyn Borge, MD, faculty in the family medicine residency clinic and one of the physicians who will staff the clinic. "Our resident doctors love working with kids, and we are excited that this is finally coming to fruition."

Dr. Borge says a clinic located in a place that families are familiar with and already frequent is vital for those living in the Poage-Powell-Hamilton neighborhood. It could be that first comfortable step that engages them with the larger healthcare system.

"We're hoping to connect with families who don't have a primary care clinician and working on building that relationship," Dr. Borge says. "We know that having a relationship with a primary care clinician is so valuable and it improves health. One of our primary goals is to get that process started."

The school district, she says, has been a great partner in the project, offering up the new space to work out of and helping to configure it to the needs of the care team.

"The school district has been excellent to work with, and they're very excited that we're over there," Dr. Borge says. "They're doing everything they can to make this a successful endeavor."

Although starting out small just one morning a week, the potential to expand is there. At some point, Dr. Borge would like to see the new mobile pediatric unit that's scheduled to arrive in March make regular stops at the school. And if the demand is there, there's potential to staff the clinic a second day each week.

She also hopes to provide additional education opportunities outside of clinic hours - potentially being in classrooms and helping teachers with various medical topics. Family education is also a possibility.

"We'd love to be able to work with teachers and staff to support what they're doing in their classrooms, outside of that clinic time," she says.

For one of the family medicine resident physicians who'll see patients at the clinic, it's yet another chance to build relationships outside the walls of the clinic.

"I am ecstatic for the opportunity to be involved in the Hamilton Elementary school clinic," says Michaela Kowalewski, MD. "I am looking forward to making healthcare more accessible to kids and families in our community through this unique partnership."

Appointments can be booked like they are at any other Gundersen clinic, though staff will work to accommodate walk-ins. To make an appointment, call (608) 775-5675 and indicate you'd like to be seen at the Hamilton School location.