Free sports physicals are being offered at Rowan County Senior High School on Saturday. Officials said the program aims to keep kids healthy and allow them access to sports programs without the affordability of physicals being a barrier.
Renee Smith, Director of Nursing and District Health Services with Rowan County Schools, said the physicals are open to anyone, not just Rowan County Students.
“We will provide any free sports physicals for any student at any school as long as they’re in grades 2 through 12. Can come from any public school or any private school. St. Claire Regional Medical Center and our schools are offering that to any student,” said Smith.
Smith said the program is an important way the district makes sure students remain healthy and receive the support they need.
“Also, kind of gives them, another provider a new set of eyes to kind of check on them just to see if there’s anything else going on. We have had students screened during this process and found out that maybe they have vision trouble during our vision screening, or we have doctors that come in and they’ll, we obviously listen to the hearts and lungs and that kind of thing,” said Smith.
Smith said it’s important to keep an eye on students to make sure they have the resources to grow healthy and strong. The physicals are completely free of charge, Smith said they do not bill insurance.
Sign-up begins at 7:30 a.m., with providers expected to arrive and begin working at 8. Smith said the event will run for as long as it takes to get students processed, but she requests everyone to be signed in by 10:30 a.m. There is no way to register in advance.
Smith added that this is the last free physical event being held until the beginning of next school year, so if students need it, now is the time to get it.