GRANT, Mich. — Family Health Care announced Tuesday that the Grant Board of Education voted to end its contract with the health center in a meeting on Monday.
Once the contract expires, Family Health Care will no longer operate the Children and Adolescent Health Center in Grant Middle School. Family Health Care has been providing healthcare services to Grant students over the past 13 years.
Family Health Care says the contract will expire in 90 days, and that they will continue to provide care until that time.
"We are disappointed with the Board’s decision to end the contract within 90 days and how this will impact students and families in the Grant community. Family Health Care has been providing school-based health care in Grant since 2010," reads a statement from Family Health Care. "Last school year, we served 658 unduplicated patients, providing primary pediatric medical care and behavioral health care. We will continue to provide services at the Grant Child and Adolescent Health Center until the contract officially expires."
Family Health Care also said they were unaware that the school board would be discussing their contract at Monday's meeting.
"At our Board meeting Monday night there was a surprise motion made and passed by four GPS Board members to terminate the contract of the Child and Adolescent Health Center housed in one of our buildings. Unfortunately, it will negatively impact hundreds of children and families in our community," Grant Public Schools Superintendent Brett Zuver said in a statement.
It is unclear if or when another healthcare provider could be selected to run the school's health center at this time.
Family Health Care will continue to provide care at their main clinic on N Maple Street.
The contract termination comes after two controversies surrounding the Grant Child and Adolescent Health Center dominated school board meetings last fall.
In October, parents questioned the health center about how Proposal 3 would impact their students' healthcare. The proposal, which passed by a wide margin in November 2022, enshrined abortion rights in Michigan's constitution and ensures reproductive freedom for Michiganders.
Health center officials assured parents that the passage of Proposal 3 would not impact the care their students could receive. Staff at the center cannot prescribe any kind of contraception, and the proposal did not change the health center's program.
Parents also raised concerns in October about a mural painted by a student inside the health center. Parents were upset over several parts of the mural, including the inclusion of a transgender flag, a mask they say is a picture of Satan and a symbol a few said is from witchcraft.
The artist later explained the mask was a character from a video game she likes. The symbol is the Hamsa hand, an ancient sign of protection in multiple cultures.
The mural was ultimately returned to the student's original design.
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