The Southside (Texas) school district has broken ground in San Antonio on a community health clinic.
The district says the Kym Rapier Community Health Clinic will provide medical, dental, and mental health care services free of charge to all 6,000 students attending Southside students.
The clinic will be named in honor of Kym Rapier, a local philanthropist who committed a little more than $1 million to help operate the clinic.
“This will have a greater and positive impact on our district," says Southside Superintendent Mark Eads. "It will produce healthier students and staff. We know this clinic will lead to improving academic performance and better attendance,” said the Superintendent.
At a groundbreaking ceremony, students sat next to an oversized image of Rapier.
Rapier’s representative, Karina Villa, says the philanthropist sees the need to help the Southside community. “Kym is aware of the disparities and wants to do what she can to provide the Southside community with greater access to health care,” Villa says.
In addition to the money pledged for the medical clinic, Rapier has donated $100,000 toward operating a district food pantry. That food pantry will be based at Pearce Elementary School and is scheduled to open in December.
Faculty and staff in the district also will be able to receive treatment at the clinic, officials say.
The clinic is scheduled to open in April 2019.
