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61 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, September 12, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 18, 2003 School clinic provides relief By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune Students at Medford’s Oak Grove Elementary School will have a better chance of staying healthy — and in school — this fall. Kids Health Connection, which already provides free health care for students at Washington and Jackson elementary schools, will begin serving Oak Grove students in September at a new 1,100-square-foot modular building on the school grounds. "We’ll be able to do the full range of primary care," said Karen Holt, administrative director for the program. Moving into Oak Grove marks a major expansion for Kids Health Connection, which was organized after a 1995 study identified west Medford as one of the most impoverished areas in Oregon. Advertisement That study prompted the Medford School District and the city’s two hospitals to create in-school health clinics at Jackson and Washington elementary schools to compensate for the lack of health- care providers in west Medford. "For many west Medford residents (the lack of) transportation (to get medical care) is a huge issue," Holt said. Children receive primary health care, emergency care, dental care, immunizations and mental health counseling. Last year, 544 students at Washington and Jackson made 2,664 visits to the in-school clinics for everything from sore throats and playground scrapes to emotional problems. The clinics’ success at Washington and Jackson encouraged expansion to Oak Grove, which also serves predominantly low-income families. "Lots of these kids just don’t have access to health care," said Art Peterson, Oak Grove principal. He noted that many children miss weeks of school when ordinary minor ailments don’t get immediate attention. With a clinic right on campus, sick kids will get the medical care that will allow them to stay in school. The Oak Grove health center will be larger than the clinics at Washington (600 square feet) and Jefferson (400 square feet) combined. The original plan called for remodeling old locker rooms in the school, but the costs were high enough to make a brand-new building more affordable. Holt noted that the free-standing building will allow Kids Health Connection to serve children from all three schools during the summer months, when school buildings — and the clinics at Washington and Jackson — are closed. "That will help us establish a relationship between the child, the family and the health-care provider," she said. "The reality is they don’t have access to health care when we’re not available." With the current-year budget of $507,000, Kids Health Connection receives major support from Providence Medford Medical Center, the city of Medford and Asante Health System (the parent company for Rogue Valley Medical Center). The federal Bureau of Primary Health Care and private foundations also provide substantial support. "We’re not dependent on school (district) or county funds," she said. "That’s what makes us strong." Recent foundation support, for example, includes $47,000 from the Juan Young Trust, $10,000 from the Carpenter Foundation, $12,000 from the Oregon Community Foundation, $20,000 from the Providence Community Health Foundation, $10,000 from Medford’s Gordon Elwood Foundation and $15,000 from the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation. The Elwood grant will be used to complete the clinic building at Oak Grove. The Cow Creek grant will help pay the salary for a nurse practitioner to do health exams for children whose families have little or no health insurance. In July, La Clinica del Valle joined the partnership. Brenda Johnson, La Clinica’s director, said the in-school clinics ensure that children will get health care even when both parents work. "Many of the families we work with are working hard to make ends meet," Johnson said. "Getting time off to take a child to a doctor is really difficult. With these clinics, the needs of the children in school are met, and the parents can continue to work hard at what they’re doing. For many parents, that’s a relief." Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities