MOUNT VERNON – A year working in a Honduras orphanage ignited Jon Campbell’s passion for a health-care career centered on children.
Campbell, who has begun work as the registered nurse at Knox Learning Center in Mount Vernon, spent 2004 in the Central American country.
“The director of the orphanage spoke at our church,” he said. “I was motivated to volunteer to help there. I speak Spanish. During that year, I decided my career goal.”
Campbell is the first nurse to be employed at Knox Learning Center, which serves special needs students from Knox County and surrounding districts. Located in the former Mount Vernon West Elementary building, the center is operated by the Knox Educational Service Center (ESC).
Dr. Timm Mackley, ESC superintendent, said Campbell was an excellent choice to be the center’s first-ever nurse.
“We have added a full-time nurse to better serve our students,” Mackley said. “Jon is a good fit for the center because of his passion for working with kids. Many of our students have behavioral issues or emotional disabilities. They can’t navigate their home school environments. They need a quieter setting and flexibility with their time not found in a traditional school.”
Campbell, 37, a graduate of Westerville North High School, earned his registered nursing degree from Central Ohio Technical College in Newark. He worked as an operating room nurse in the Mount Carmel Health System and as a Level 1 trauma charge nurse at Ohio Health Grant Medical Center. Most recently, he was a school nurse in the Marion area.
Along the way, Campbell and his wife had two sons. An accomplished musician who plays several instruments, he has served as music director at several churches.
At Knox Learning Center, Campbell provides behavior management support to the staff while treating minor illnesses and injuries and administering prescribed medications to students who require them during the school day. He has had emergency medical training and will link directly to first responders, should the need ever arise.
“I enjoy pediatric care and find a lot of professional and personal fulfillment in working with kids,” Campbell said. “My goal each day is to help the kids here make the best of their individual situations as they pursue their education.”
