Sandy High's new School-Based Health Center will focus on prevention services

The grand opening of the new Sandy High School has garnered excitement for months.

Also opening Sept. 4 on the new school grounds will be a 1,800-square-foot School-Based Health Center that has been developed in partnership with the Health, Housing and Human Services department of Clackamas County.

The Sandy High School health center will join two others in Clackamas County — Canby and Oregon City — and 63 others across the state. All students in kindergarten through 12th grade enrolled in the Oregon Trail School District will have access to the health center, regardless of their ability to pay.

“This isn’t just a matter of providing treatment for the flu or a minor injury,” said Julia Monteith, Oregon Trail School District spokeswoman. “We will hire a nurse practitioner who can build relationships (with students) — who can encourage nutrition, talk about risky behaviors and practice prevention.”

Two primary care providers trained in pediatric and adolescent health care will staff the new health center, and come November, the health center will add a second component: a community-based health center that runs from 3:30-8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Plans for the health center began nearly two years ago with community-wide and youth advisory councils. After surveying numerous community groups and visiting other school-based health centers, the councils determined the new Sandy High School would be the best location for its center.

Research, such as that conducted in the 2012 Youth Voice Status Update, has indicated school-based health centers reduce barriers that prevent students from seeking health services and get students back to the classroom faster.

Two students involved in the youth advisory councils, Billy James and Ashley Krieger, are active leaders in Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) and will continue to work closely with the health center when it opens.

“There’s a huge need in Sandy,” Krieger said. “I’ve known kids who’ve had to miss a half or whole day of school for a medical appointment. Now there won’t be as big of a hassle for the parents, too — students will get the medical attention they’re needing and miss less class time.”

While the district and county anticipate most of the health center clients will come from the high school, elementary and middle school students also are welcome at the center, which will be open during school hours, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“We’re very much building a community with the school body, administration and clinic,” said Dave Edwards, director of the Clackamas County Health Centers Division. “All of those pieces have to be in sync for it to be successful.

“When a student develops a relationship with a medical professional, the professional has the opportunity to reinforce successful, healthy behaviors.”

According to the Youth Voice Status Update, which surveyed 850 students in a patient satisfaction survey during the 2010-11 school year, 95 percent of surveyed students said they are likely to follow the advice of the health center staff, and 78 percent said the care they received helped them change their behavior.

Though students’ insurance will be billed whenever possible to help sustain the health center, no student will be turned away because of his or her lack of insurance or inability to pay.

Monteith said a packet of information with an insurance form will be distributed to district families soon, encouraging them to complete a release form before the start of school.

“When they come in, we’ll already have insurance information on file,” said Jamie Zentner, school-based health center coordinator for Clackamas County Community Health. “We’re billing for what insurance would pay — not billing families.”

Additionally, there’s an option for students to join the Oregon Health Plan, the state’s healthcare plan for low-income Oregonians administered through the Division of Medical Assistance Programs.

The district will continue to contract with Trillium Family Services for behavioral health services, Monteith said, and the county’s behavioral health clinic on Proctor Boulevard will continue to be a resource.

Based on a 2008 analysis, the cost to operate a school-based health center in Oregon is estimated at $200,000 per year. In addition to billing third-party insurers, the Oregon Health Authority (previously the Department of Human Services) is providing a planning grant of $60,000 to cover start-up costs. Also, the Oregon Legislature and additional private and public funds at the local level will support the Sandy School-Based Health Center.

After almost two years of rigorous work through the youth council, the students involved are thrilled with the outcome.

“I hope students will know it’s a safe space,” Krieger said.