Mazama Student Health Center Now Open [VIDEO]
/The Health Center will be available to serve all Klamath County School District students and their siblings
Congressman Walden visiting with a parent at the ribbon cutting of the Klamath County School Based Health Center. March 9, 2019. (Brandon Gailey / Klamath Falls News)
“The opportunity to have a clinic attached to the schools…for affordable accessible health care is huge for the school district,” says Glen Szymoniak, KCSD Superintendent.
A $100,000 grant helped finish the Klamath County School Based Health Center. A partnership between KCSD, Cascade Health Alliance, and Klamath Health Partnership.
Today a ribbon cutting was held with a few guest speakers to highlight the opening of the clinic for student use.
“I think it is so exciting to have care right here at the a school based health center opening right here at Mazama,” says Walden. “Kids can now have basic health care needs met, parents can have piece of mind knowing that there is somebody there who is appropriately trained.”
The health center will provide access for students to receive: physical exams, sports physicals, treatment for illness or injury, immunizations, age-appropriate reproductive health, health education, counseling, and wellness promotion. Basic lab services and the ability to prescribe necessary medications will also be available. Referrals will be made for services not available at the school-based clinic.
KCSD Superintendent Glen Szymoniak speaks about the benefits of having a Student Based Health Center on the Mazama High School Campus. March 9, 2019 (Brandon Gailey / Klamath Falls News)
“One of the things that is important for us at the School District is to provide a safe learning environment,” says Szymoniak. “Funding in education is very, very difficult. When you take a look at diminishing funds, some of the people that end up leaving the schools first are the nurses, arts, music and things like that. It is not tolerable to not have a safe learning environment. When you don’t have the nurse at the school, the secretary is doing medicine and tending to students. That gets pretty difficult because they have a busy job.
“This is what I love about Klamath,” says Jeff Bullock, Director of Secondary Curriculum KCSD. “Is that when something is worth doing we come together to get it done. In my position, I have seen that time and time again.”
“This is a big win,” says Walden. “It is a big win for students, it is a big win for parents, and its a huge win for the community.”
One of the three examination rooms at the new Student Health Center at Mazama High School. March 9, 2019 (Brian Gailey / Klamath Falls News)
The clinic is open for any child enrolled in the Klamath County School District, including students in the Klamath Transition Program, students who are homeschooled through Great Basin Homeschool Center and students at Falcon Heights.
The clinic is located on the Mazama High School Campus at 3013 Summers Lane, Klamath Falls. 541-887-8189. Hours are Mondays and Wednesdays, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Fridays, 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM. The clinic is open even if school is not in session (including winter, spring and summer breaks).
Ribbon cutting at the Student Health Center. March 9, 2019 (Brandon Gailey / Klamath Falls News)
Background
A $100,000 grant from Cascade Health Alliance and a partnership with Klamath Health Partnership-Klamath Open Door, the Klamath County School District in January opened a school-based health center on the Mazama High School campus. The grant was awarded late last spring and work on the center began this summer.
Renovations were primarily be done by school district’s maintenance staff over this past summer and early fall, but all supplies and materials for the renovation were provided by the $100,000 Cascade Health Alliance grant.
It’s location on the Mazama campus allows easy access for teen parents, their children, as well as the GOALS and BRIDGES programs, site-based classroom programs which serve the whole district’s highest-need students.
While the KCSD owns the building, Klamath Open Door will run the health center. This is the second school-based health center in the Klamath County School District. The district opened a student health center at Gilchrist Schools more than 10 years ago.
Rene Lowell, FNP
About the Provider
Rene Lowell, FNP has a master’s degree in nursing and health education through University of Phoenix and a post-master’s degree as a family nurse practitioner through Duquesne University.
Lowell has worked with Klamath Open Door Family Practice for nearly 16 years; seven years as a family nurse practitioner.