Boiler Bay Beacon
NEWPORT — The enduring image of the scowling, battle-axe school nurse has been replaced in all four Lincoln County high schools by a wide-ranging, first-class health care system that rivals the best clinics anywhere.
While mom and dad often have to wait weeks for an appointment, children who walk in are greeted with a complete slate of medical and behavioral services — more care than a top-flight doctor’s office. With Lincoln County government financing the clinics, 372 students from all grade levels were treated last year.
The first School-Based Health Center opened at Toledo High School more than 35 years ago. Today, Newport, Taft, and Waldport High Schools also have on-campus health centers. Instead of treating just minor playground injuries, they treat chronic or acute health needs; give physical exams, immunizations and mental health or substance abuse treatment; offer vision, hearing and dental services; promote health education and wellness; and provide testing and treatment of STDs.
With significant rates of anxiety, depression and trauma, individual and group sessions treat student behavioral health. The most frequent primary care is physicals for school sports, followed by reproductive health.
“We do all of the care that you can do at a primary care facility,” said Amy Lundy, Coastal Healthcare Program Manager for the health centers. “We have a primary care provider on site 10 hours a week, and behavioral health is here two days a week, as well.”
The program is open to charter, homeschool and preschoolers. Almost any insurance is accepted, a sliding scale is used, and no student is turned away for inability to pay. Students can self-schedule, a step to self-advocacy they’ll need when they leave school and home.
“Mostly the kids just need to know that we’re here consistently, and they have someone to go to who’s not a teacher or school staff that they can talk to confidentially,” said Jenny Brosi, family nurse practitioner. This puts health center staff in a prime position to “help catch stuff that’s going on that they won’t tell anyone else.”
Under Oregon law, students 15 and older don’t need parental consent for medical testing and treatment. Those 14 and older can independently seek behavioral health services, and students of any age can receive testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases on their own, though program managers say students are “encouraged to involve families in their decisions.”
To ensure privacy, schools do not have access to health center records.
Funding for the clinic operations and the two-plus employees, $509,307, comes from the Lincoln County Health and Human Services Dept., a $47.9 million agency.
Visit https://www.co.lincoln.or.us/813 for center addresses and contact information.
Beacon reporter Rick Beasley and Lincoln Co. Public Information Officer Kenneth Lipp contributed to this story
