PORT TOWNSEND — A school-based medical and mental health services clinic has opened at Port Townsend High School.
It is the first such facility on the North Olympic Peninsula.
A partnership among the Port Townsend School District, Jefferson County Public Health and Jefferson Healthcare hospital was formed to open the clinic in Port Townsend High School’s Gael Stuart Building, Room S-15, 1810 Blaine St.
Students, parents and community members are invited to a Jefferson School Based Health Center open house from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday at the clinic inside the north end of the Gael Stuart Building.
A second clinic will open at Chimacum High School later this year, said Yuko Umeda, county Public Health nurse.
Chimacum School District is a partner with county Public Health and Jefferson Healthcare on that clinic.
A mental health provider already is serving Chimacum schools, and a medical provider will soon be added, she said.
“It basically started when the school district wanted to increase services to their students,” Umeda said.
“We really want to stress that it’s comprehensive and confidential medical and mental health care for high school students.”
The school-based health center’s services focus on health prevention.
Medical and mental health providers are trained to understand and treat the health-care needs of teens.
Serviced offered to students include illness assessment, sports physicals, sports injuries treatment and reproductive health and nutritional information.
Condoms are available in the colorful waiting room, which has been decorated with artwork and a bowl of fresh fruit and snacks.
The clinic also has registration and examination rooms.
Susan O’Brien, certified nurse practitioner, and Patricia Flowergrowing, mental health therapist, provide services.
The hours are from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday and Friday with O’Brien and 9-3 Monday and Wednesday with Flowergrowing.
While the medical side of the clinics will be paid for through the school districts-Jefferson Healthcare partnership and state Department of Health grants, mental health services will be supported through the county’s one-tenth of 1 percent sales tax.
“The schools’ main part is providing the facilities,” Umeda said. “They don’t have to provide any other funding.”
The clinics will provide longer-term services for students, beyond shorter grant contracts, she said.
Services will help students connect to other county medical and mental health providers, she said.
O’Brien said she saw six students on Tuesday, indicating that the program was worthwhile.
Of the 18 school-based health centers in Washington State, the clinics are the first to open on the Olympic Peninsula.
The opening of the clinics was made possible through the contribution of time, materials and services from local businesses and organizations, including the Boeing Bluebills, Friends of Chimacum Schools, Peninsula Floors and Furnishing, McCrorie Carpet One, J. Dean Burton, Kevin Nighswonger, Jim Reynolds, Group Health Cooperative, Henery Hardware, Peninsula Paint Company and Port Townsend High School’s Associated Student Body and carpentry classes.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
