The newest addition to Madison Crossroads elementary school in Toney, Ala. is more than meets the eye. A trailer that now sits behind the school is being molded into a brand-new medical office where students from the surrounding area can go to for free dental and optometrist services. 

With the help of the North Alabama Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), and more than 15 ABC member companies such as Turner Construction and Lee Builders, Alabama’s nonprofit organization Health Establishments at Local Schools (HEALS), was able to open their second dental clinic for students whose families may not be able to afford regular doctor visits. The trailer is an expansion to the existing medical center HEALS brought to the school in August 2011.  

“A project like this serves kids who otherwise wouldn’t have access to healthcare,” said ABC North Alabama Chapter President, Tiffany Brightwell. “Once the trailer is completed, the students will have access to full medical care for free right at school.”

  

From the design drawings to the electrical equipment and everything in between, ABC members donated all of the labor and materials needed to complete this collaborative community service project. ABC member mechanical companies donated HVAC and plumbing materials. Also provided by ABC companies were on-site dumpsters, wood, drywall, paint flooring. 

“We want to help the community,” said Turner Construction’s Area Manager, Micah Bullard. “A lot of our workers come from areas like this and with more than 1000 students at the school we really have an opportunity to make a difference.”

The elementary school’s HEALS medical center has logged more than 1000 visits from students and Principal Mitzi Dennis attributes the increase in student attendance to the services being offered. Officials reported that of the approximate 1000 students attending Madison Crossroads Elementary, located about 20 miles north of Huntsville, Ala., 57 percent are from low income households. 

HEALS and the participating ABC members broke ground on the project in August of 2013, documenting donated time and materials with a banner on the job site which highlighted the companies involved and allowed workers to sign their names. The new medical trailer is set open before Jan. 1, 2014.