By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — Tracey Akers said the idea of overseeing a new welcome center for Warsaw Community Schools is a dream job.
Officials announced earlier this week that the school district will open the welcome center at the Health Services Pavilion located in the medical campus adjacent to Luthern Kosciusko Hospital.
School officials will use the welcome center to assess new students entering the district beginning this fall.
Akers is a longtime nurse who has worked in the school district for 19 years and served as coordinator of nursing services for 14 years.
She saw how Fort Wayne Community Schools used the concept six years ago, and funding for the new program in Warsaw became available this year through Health First Indiana.
The welcome center will focus on offering health assessments – everything from vision, hearing and immunization to all new students in the district.
Akers faces a daunting task when school opens in a few weeks. As of this week, they knew of 135 new students entering the district. Some are from outside of state while others are from outside the country.
The center is expected to open Aug. 1.
She said new students somehow fall through the cracks in terms of health services.
“I’m hoping that by gathering this information and getting it to my nurses, that they are aware of what’s walking in the door,” she said.
Having the welcome center at the health services building made sense since the county immunization clinic is in the same facility.
There also tends to be a gap in immunizations for new students, she said.
“It can be, especially if they are from out of country. The immunizations they receive versus the ones we require are quite different,” she said.
She’ll also work to connect families with other local services parents might not be familiar with.
“We just have so many wonderful organizations that we can connect people to before it gets to a crisis situation — so that’s my goal,” she said.
Akers was joined by Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert for this week’s In the Know, the public affairs show you can hear this weekend on Kensington Digital Media radio stations.
Hoffert also addressed several back-to-school issues parents might find worthwhile.
In The Know can be heard at the following times:
News Now Warsaw (99.7 FM and 1480 AM):
Fridays at 9 a.m.
Saturdays at 7 a.m.
Sundays at 7 a.m. & 2 p.m.
WRSW (107.3):
Sundays at 6 a.m.
Willie (103.5 FM):
Sundays at 6 a.m.
