Vision center planned for Alice Coachman Elementary School
$400,000 grants will provide vision services for entire Dougherty School System and is Georgia’s first
Dougherty County School Board member Melissa Strother holds a gift of chainsaw art presented by the Lake Park Elementary Media Center. The gifts, which were presented to all board members prior to the beginning of Monday night’s board meeting, were put together from pieces of storm-damaged trees. (Staff Photo: Terry Lewis)
By Terry Lewis
ALBANY — The Dougherty County School Board’s regular monthly meeting Monday included a light agenda.
During the board’s pre-briefing, Albany Primary Health Care Chief Operating Officer Clifton Bush announced the group had received a nearly $400,000 grant from OneSight to set up a vision clinic for the system’s 15,000 students, siblings and DCSS staff to be located at Alice Coachman Elementary School.
The new clinic, the first of its kind in Georgia, will serve the entire Dougherty County School System and is part of just 15 new centers nationwide.
“A child that sees well will perform well,” Bush said. “If a child cannot see the board, he or she is at a disadvantage.”
OneSight officials said they hope the new centers can be used as models for other states.
“Access to vision care and a pair of glasses is critical to a student’s ability to learn, and there is no better feeling than helping a child reach their full potential,” said Mony Iyer, the executive director of OneSight. “These first grant recipients are leading the way as we continue to pursue our goal of making sure that every child in the U.S. has access to an eye exam and a pair of glasses.”
Bush noted that the center will hire an optometrist and other staff and should open some time in January.
AAPHC already has two medical clinics located within the DCSS, at Alice Coachman and Turner elementary schools. Bush said the Coachman clinic provides health services to between 200 to 250 students per year, while the Turner clinic serves an average of 250 to 300 per year.
In the only action item of the night, the board unanimously approved $105, 311 for the purchase of four new Dodge Charger cruisers for the DCSS Police Department.
Akins Ford Dodge Jeep Chrysler Government Sales of Winder will provide the vehicles.
The next school board meeting is set for April 26 at the DCSS administration building.
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