Dufur Celebrates School Clinic Opening
Story and photos by Rodger Nichols
Something new was added to Dufur School, just in time for the start of the academic year: Wasco County’s first school-based health center.
Dufur School Superintendent Jack Henderson outlined the history of the program at a dedication ceremony on August 29.
“It started in March 2022, when the Dufur School District got a $90,000 planning grant,” he said. “We used that to study whether or not we’d like to have a school-based health center in the community. We had several community meetings in what I’ll call a robust process.”
The Dufur School Board approved the project in April 2023, and the health center building was ordered that July. It arrived on April 11, 2024, and was set up behind the school by mid-May. Finish work, furniture, and supplies were ready for the opening of the 2024-2025 school year.
“Along the way, we developed some great partnerships with One Community Health, Oregon Health Authority, and others,” Jack said.
The health center was built without using general funds and without money from any educational programs. The school district used grants to buy the building and will provide ongoing maintenance. One Community Health provided the equipment and will provide staffing.
Jack said generous donations came from 2 local individuals: Susan Gabay and John Dillon.
He also acknowledged the Roundhouse Foundation, based in Sisters, which was established as a collaboration between Kathy Deggendorfer and her late mother, Gert Boyle, the matriarch of Columbia Sportswear.
“Not only did the foundation provide significant financial resources, they also provided information on who else we could talk to about getting others to support us,” Jack said.
Others who contributed grants include Marie Lam from the Foundation of Wilsonville, Ford Family Foundation, Google, New Sun Energy, and Northern Wasco County PUD. Dufur School nurse Kamala Malcolm has been described as the driving force behind the project.
Certified Physician Assistant Kristen Nicolescu, who provides medical services at the clinic, was not satisfied with the original exam beds, so she found a grant to buy better ones. Kristen, who has 7 years’ experience operating a school-based health center at Hood River Valley High School, says she is pleased with all the services offered at the clinic.
Nicolescu shows off 1 of the 1 exam
rooms in the new clinic at Dufur School.
The facility includes a waiting area with a receptionist’s desk, 2 exam rooms, a lab, and a quiet room furnished with chairs and a couch for mental health consultations. “We have a full lab where we can do things like tests for strep, influenza and anemia, COVID tests, urine tests, and pregnancy tests,” Kristen says. “We also have a full vaccine program.”
“People got behind on vaccination during the pandemic, and they are catching up now,” Kristen says. The clinic also can treat many common accidents children have. “We can do splinting, we can do sutures,” Kristen says. “We can evaluate people for things like closed-head injuries.” Some of the funding for clinic operations will come from the state of Oregon. While the clinic treats those without insurance for free, it bills insurance for those who have coverage.
“I think the main thing that can get confusing about school-based health services is how it fits into their larger health care picture,” Kristen says. “School-based health centers are not intended to take over primary care services for their kid. The idea is that a school-based health center is an adjunct to care. So, if their kid has a sore throat and they can’t get in to see their primary care provider, or if their primary care is in The Dalles and they can’t make it down there, that’s what we’re here for. It’s an added convenience.”
here for. It’s an added convenience.” Kristen says she enjoys coming into a new community and learning about it. “I hope that parents understand that I’m just here to try to be a trusted adult and to make sure that kids are healthy and safe,” she says. Mental health services are also provided.
The clinic makes Kamala’s job easier. “It gives me another option,” she says. “If a kid comes in and their throat is sore, and they have a fever, I call the parent and tell them their kid has a sore throat and fever, and I think it would be good to get it looked at. I’ll ask if they have a primary provider, or if they’d like the number for the health center. It’s another access point for our families.”
The process doesn’t require taking a parent away from work to take the child into town, losing a half-day or more in the process. Jennifer Griffith of One Community Health sums up the benefits of the health center. “I think for students and for families of students to be able to have their kiddos seen here and have easy access right in your community is an incredible resource,” she says. “Thank you for your trust and faith in partnering with us.”