MONTGOMERY COUNTY – Community Health Center of the New River Valley’s CEO Michele Brauns, along with Chief Medical Officer Dr. Rebecca King-Mallory, presented information to the MCPS Board on the benefits of a school-based health center during their regular meeting May 6th.
According to Brauns, a free clinic has operated in the New River Valley for decades, providing necessary medical resources to local citizens who may lack the monetary support to seek care in other medical institutions, turning no one away for the inability to pay.
Now called the Community Health Center of the New River Valley, “Our main headquarters [is] at 215 Roanoke Street, but I have three other clinics, one in Pearisburg, one in Dublin, and one in Pulaski County High School, which we opened two years ago,” Bronze said. “In our case, we also provide much needed dental care.”
In addition to students, the Health Center can provide services to MCPS employees and accept insured patients as well.
The growth of the center has been exponential, resulting in the need for a larger space.
“We are quadrupling our space there. We’re going from six dental operatories to 16. We’ll be going from eight exam rooms to about 18 or so. We also provide behavioral health and substance use services,” Brauns said.
The new center will be located on Acre Farms Road with a groundbreaking ceremony happening in about three weeks.
With the new health center, King-Mallory said that registration packets are made available for students, staff, and faculty. Consent forms are also an option for children to be seen in the absence of parental attendance during an appointment.
“We obtain consent for treatment ahead of time. So, patients and their parents can do this online. The school nurse has consent forms as well that they help us facilitate getting signed. We have emailings and text links that we can send to parents to obtain consent,” King-Mallory said.
Making a difference in the lives of children and other members of the school community through accessible primary health and dental care is the Center’s priority, Brauns said. “It has really assisted kids who were…had never been to the dentist. I mean, 17-, 18-year-olds who were getting ready to graduate, couldn’t get a job, and we were able to fix their teeth. And one young gentleman we helped sign up for Medicaid, because he was leaving his household.”
Board member Penny Franklin asked about the bus system that would provide transportation to the center from Montgomery County Public School locations. Brauns explained that it is not necessary, but other counties have used buses in their system during the day to help transport children to appointments.
“If there is a way to provide transportation, say in Shawsville, Elliston area, that would allow all of those kids and staff and faculty, from that particular region, and that geography to visit it, it would certainly I think help be part of the greater good,” Brauns said. “It was the choice of the school system.”
Superintendent Dr. Bernard Bragen, Jr. also provided a report to the Montgomery County Public Schools Board on May 6, 2025, during their regularly scheduled meeting.
“On this Teacher Appreciation Day, I extend my deepest gratitude to the extraordinary educators who serve the students and families of the Montgomery County Public Schools. Our teachers are the heart of this school division. They are dedicated professionals whose passion, resilience, and compassion shape the lives of our children every single day,” Bragen said.
Bragen was also in attendance at the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Signing Day at Auburn High School in Riner.
“It was great to see the students recognized for their outstanding work in the trades, and their commitment to career and technical education. Our CTE programs are second to none and something this division should be proud of,” Bragen said.
A survey has been posted to provide feedback on the superintendent’s job performance and the work he has done. The survey can be found by visiting the www.mcps.org website and clicking on the Superintendent tab at the top of the screen.
