Hoover Elementary Health Center Receives Kaiser Permanente Grant

According to Oregon state statistics, about 40 percent of students served by school-based clinics aren't insured.

School Based Health Center ribbon cutting. Left to right: Mike Miller (School District Director of Elementary Education), Anthony Reyna (Hoover Elementary student), Rod Calkins, Ph.D. (Administrator Marion County Health Department), and Brian Spaulding (Branch Coordinator Marion-Polk County Boys & Girls Club). Photo: Salem-Keizer School District.

(SALEM, Ore. ) - The Kaiser Permanente Foundation has awarded a $10,000 grant to support the Hoover Elementary School Based Health Center.

Kaiser Permanente will provide the check to project personnel at the Operational Council meeting at noon on Thursday, June 21st, at the Eastwood Boys & Girls Club, 1120 Savage Road NE in Salem.

The health center, Marion County's first SBHC, has completed its first school year and will be reopening in September 2007.

Establishing the health center involved a broad-based community planning committee and three primary partners: the Marion County Health Department, the Salem-Keizer School District, and the Boys & Girls Club.

The Health Department operates and staffs the clinic and serves as the fiscal agent for the state grant that provides the funding base forthe SBHC.

The Boys & Girls Club provides the physical location for theclinic in the Eastwood Boys & Girls Club.

Children enrolled in the clinic are Hoover Elementary School students and Boys & Girls Club members.

A school-based health center is a primary care clinic that provides health care to students regardless of their ability to pay.

According to Oregon state statistics, about 40 percent of students served by school-based clinics aren't insured.

The centers, which employ nurses, nurse practitioners and other health specialists, havebeen around Oregon for about 20 years.

The state has about 44 school-based clinics in 17 counties.

Aside from providing health careto kids who otherwise might not receive it, school-based clinics allowfor students to readily see a doctor whether it's schedules or money that is preventing a visit with a health care professional.

Successful operation and outcomes for this SBHC are necessary tosupport development of additional sites in the future.

For more information, contact Judy Cleave, MPH RN, program supervisor for Marion County Health Department at (503) 371-5312 or jcleave@co.marion.or.us.