Oregon Spotlight

School-Based Health Centers in Columbia County, Oregon

The State of Oregon’s “Area of Unmet Healthcare Needs Evaluation” rated Columbia County as the most medically underserved county in the entire state. Plus, the area has high poverty rates with many negative health indicators. A $20,000 grant from the Foundation is helping to transform this situation by establishing three new school-based health centers (SBHCs), which increases the total amount of the county’s SBHCs from one to four.

The Columbia Health District Public Health Authority (CHDPHA) is overseeing this project in partnership with other public and private organizations that have come together to solve the health crisis in Columbia County. The purpose of the new SBHCs is to meet the needs of students in the Rainier, St. Helens and Vernonia school districts. At the SBHCs, students have access to affordable physical and mental health assessments, disease prevention, treatment and counseling. CHDPHA hopes to create a safety net for unmet health care needs with the SBHCs, while also influencing healthy lifestyle choices in a young population with identified risks.