RIVER ROUGE, Mich. – Ladell Watson was a top student at River Rouge High School, but his severe asthma and allergies were out of control.
"I couldn't breathe one day in the school, and I ended up having to come down to the clinic to get help," said Watson.
He's referring to the Beaumont Teen Health Center, located inside River Rouge High School.
"I was able to get everything I needed, including an extra inhaler," Watson said. "The clinic makes you know that you have somebody downstairs that you can go to at anytime. If your asthma is not okay, you're not okay at all."
"We really embrace the idea that a healthy student is going to be more academically successful," said Maureen Murphy, the clinic's nurse practitioner.
To the students, she's simply "Ms. Maureen."
"These kids really feel comfortable here. They feel safe here," Murphy said. "I don't wear a white coat. I want them to come in, I want them to own this clinic. I want them to ask the questions they are afraid to ask in a quick visit with a primary care (doctor)."
Like Watson, an estimated 20 percent of the students that visit the clinic have asthma.
"Down here in River Rouge, a tremendous amount of asthma, so understanding your asthma medications, understanding how to use them, how to advocate for yourself and be preventative is huge," Murphy said.
It's also cost effective.
"We often save three to four ER visits a week," Murphy said.
The Beaumont Teen Health Center is supported by the Beaumont Foundation and grants from the state.
The clinic obtains parental consent forms ahead of time. They accept all insurances, but never turn anyone away if they can't pay.
In addition to students, the clinic is also open to Wayne County residents age 10 to 21.
"We have an outside door, as well as a door to the high school, so community can come in, and we even have a late night that can help with our community members," Murphy said.
The clinic also performs school and sports physicals, treats routine illnesses and injuries, offers vaccines and can test for and treat sexually transmitted diseases.
But the clinic doesn't just handle physical health.
Social worker and therapist Justin Follebout is also on staff. A two-year grant from the Jewish Fund makes him available full-time to the students. Every visit to the clinic also includes a mental health assessment.
"It helps identify if there are underlying issues that were not initially reported that they are struggling with," Follebout said. "It can be a very difficult age for some young men and women. They go through a lot of anxiety and depression and family disfunction. Maybe they don't have someone at home or someone to talk to, but this would be a good outlet for them, as well as to have the medical services provided."
Watson spent his senior year volunteering at the clinic and urging others to take advantage of it.
"The clinic has really helped me realize it is not just me that needs help, it's a lot of other kids in the building that need help," Watson said.
Watson's asthma and allergies are now under control. An exceptional student, he was accepted to 20 universities and won more than $375,000 in scholarship money.
Watson is now off to study secondary education at Michigan State University. He appreciates what he learned about his own health at the clinic.
"My motto is, I tell everybody this, 'Go be great. Nothing is stopping you besides you,'" Watson said.
There are also Beaumont Teen Center locations in Inkster, Redford Township, Romulus, Taylor and Westland. To learn more, click here.