Youngstown Schools CEO Justin Jennings named Hometown Hero

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WYTV) – Justin Jennings will transition from CEO to superintendent of the Youngstown City Schools next year. His commitment to physical and mental health has earned him the Hometown Hero award.

The student body — the dictionary defines it as the students of an educational institution. For Jennings, the health of each student’s body is directly linked to their learning potential.

“When I first got here, one of the things was a lot of our students didn’t have their vaccinations and different shots, that’s before vaccinations became an issue of course,” Jennings said.

That’s when he reached out to Dr. Lena Esmail with QuickMed Urgent Care Centers. She had the solution.

“I think Mr. Jennings is a pioneer in the fact that he recognized the importance of health and wellness on the body, mind and soul in order to facilitate education,” Dr. Esmail said.

So he got the services, now he just needed to pay for them.

“About two years ago, Governor DeWine gave us a lot of health care funds in which we used to start our first clinic and get our first mobile van as well. Not only do we have stand-alone clinics, but we also have a dental van and an audiovisual van as well.” Jennings said.

One student went in for relief from his seasonal allergies, but the students aren’t the only ones benefiting from the program.

“Teachers come here for free as well. The healthier our teachers are, the less that they miss school. So it works out for everybody,” Jennings said.

Our Hometown Hero wants to extend the services outside the schools.

“We want to eventually evolve this into a community clinic. So, our parents could come in as well and everybody has access,” Jennings said.