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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Emergency services, Oct. 16 ... Since You Asked: Park resurfacing delayed during winter ... SOU training gives tips on what to do if there's an active shooter ... Emergency services, Oct. 16 ... Since You Asked: Park resurfacing delayed during winter ... SOU training gives tips on what to do if there's an active shooter ... EARTHQUAKE AFTERMATH Earthquake badly damaged Nepal clinic built with local donations Comment By Edith Decker Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Edith Decker Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted May. 8, 2015 at 11:53 AM By Edith Decker Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted May. 8, 2015 at 11:53 AM » Social News The recent earthquake in Nepal badly damaged a health clinic funded in large part by donations from Josephine County. Now an effort is under way to care for the injured and to rebuild. Catherine Wood, a community activist from Grants Pass who spearheaded a decade of fundraising for the clinic with the Bright Futures Foundation, says the clinic in Bhotechaur will need to be torn down and replaced. "Very fortunately, no one was hurt at the clinic, but about 100 people have died in the village," Wood said. Nearly all homes in the village are in rubble, say her contacts in Nepal. About 5,000 people live in the village. Hundreds more from surrounding villages rely on the clinic for everything from emergencies to prenatal care. The epicenter of the April 25 quake was about 50 miles northwest of capital city Kathmandu. Bhotechaur (pronounced: boat-a-char) is about 20 miles northeast of Kathmandu. "At this point, we have no idea of the cost to rebuild the clinic, but original construction back in 2003 was $50,000 so I can easily imagine it will be twice or three times that to rebuild. We are not sure about the condition of equipment inside the building," Wood said. The Bright Futures Foundation has a start on the fundraising thanks to a Wednesday night Earthquake relief concert held at Roxy Ann Winery in Medford and featuring Alice DiMicele and her band, the Fret Drifters, Em Harriss, B Wishes, Paul Turnipseed, Frankie Hernandez and many other musicians who donated their time and talent. Wood estimated that the concert brought in nearly $10,000. People can help by going to the website brightfuturesfoundation.org and clicking on "donate now" or by sending checks to Bright Futures Foundation, P.O. Box 248, Murphy, OR 97533. Despite the main building being closed and many staff members and clinic scholarship winners being homeless, work goes on to help the many injured during the earthquake. "We built an annex to the clinic a couple of years ago; it escaped unscathed. All clinic operations have been moved to the annex and it is open for business. Lots of patients are coming for trauma treatment. So glad the care is there," Wood said. "Amazingly, the big new generator, the solar panels, the clean water line and the big water holding tanks all survived," Wood said. The generator was donated last year by the Grants Pass Rotary, which also paid to build the original clinic building. The club did not commit to helping run or supply the clinic, which is where the Bright Futures Foundation came in, when local Rotarians formed it as a separate project. For 10 years the clinic was expected to be more self-sufficient and the foundation reduced its gift by 10 percent each year. The clinic was declared self-sufficient in 2013. The foundation kept on funding the education of village students, many of them in health fields, and special equipment needs. Wood and other volunteers organized the Hot Nepali Nights auction and dinner for a decade to help fund a clinic manager and equipment including an X-ray machine, ultrasound, EKG, binocular microscope and biochemical analyzer. The majority of the patients are women and children. Costs were kept low for patients, but in the Nepalese economy, that has been enough to keep the clinic growing. The clinic has done so well that the Nepalese government even paved the road from Kathmandu to Bhotechaur to make it easier for both doctors to make the trip there and patients to get to the hospital. Wood received word Monday that the road was now passable. By Edith Decker Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Edith Decker Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted May. 8, 2015 at 11:53 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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