School Health Centers Provide Vital Wellness Services

In all four local high schools, students at any grade level can access full primary care services from Coastal Healthcare and behavioral health resources from Lincoln County Health & Human Services providers.

The first School Based Health Center in Lincoln County opened at Toledo High School more than 35 years ago. Today, Newport, Taft, Toledo and Waldport High Schools each have their own health center on campus.

The health centers offer a complete slate of medical services, just like any doctor's office, including: routine medical office visits for chronic or acute health needs; physical exams; treatment of minor injuries; immunizations, mental health and substance abuse screening, assessment, and treatment; vision, hearing and dental screenings; health education and wellness promotion; referrals for specialty health care services; reproductive health services, including testing for and treatment of sexually transmitted infections; limited dental services via voucher program with dental professionals; Oregon Health Plan eligibility screening and sign up; family planning education, risk assessment, counseling and methods; and translation services.

"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."

Any student registered with the Lincoln County School District can be seen at the health centers, Lundy said, including charter and homeschool students, as well as kids enrolled in on-campus preschool. The centers accept most forms of insurance and operate on a sliding scale, and no student will be turned away for inability to pay. And, students at any school can be seen at any of the four health centers. They can walk in or schedule an appointment (there's a QR code that can be scanned to self schedule).

Lundy said behavioral health makes up a big piece of the services provided, which includes individual and group sessions led by a Qualified Mental Health Professional. The most frequent service provided in primary care is physicals to qualify students to participate in school sports, followed by reproductive health, Lundy said.

"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," Brosi said.

The schools do not have access to health center records, but that's not say there isn't a cooperative relationship. Each school has a health service advocate who can help connect students with additional supports if center staff identifies them as needed - things like food, clothing, even toiletries.

"We're kind of like a team with advocate to help the kids all the way around," Brosi said.

Jennifer Mack, medical assistant, said another key value for students is that the process of seeking help and scheduling appointments teaches them self-advocacy they'll need when they leave school and home.

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 disease on their own, but Lundy said they encourage kids to involve families in their decisions.

Another important advantage of the campus-based services is that they can greatly reduce time out of the classroom, and for parents, time away from work. Whereas a visit to the doctor's office for a freshman might take up several hours - driving from home or work to the school, driving to the doctor's office and sitting in the waiting room, dropping off the freshman back at campus, then returning home or to work - students can simply walk down the hall to their appointment and be out of class perhaps thirty minutes.

Lincoln County's School Based Health Centers are a vital wellness resource for local youth - a service the County is honored to have provided for more than three decades. Visit https://www.co.lincoln.or.us/813 for center addresses and contact information.

School Based Health Center Schedules:

• Primary care at Newport High is available Mondays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and behavioral health is available Thursdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Taft High School's primary care hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and 8a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Thursdays, while behavioral health is available there on Thursdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Primary care is available at Waldport High from on Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Their behavioral health services are open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Students can receive primary care at Toledo High School on Wednesday from 8a.m to 10:30 a.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 430 p.m. Behavioral health is available Mondays and Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.