Klamath Health Partnership opens to all students in Klamath County

Klamath Health Partnership opens to all students in Klamath County while regular school classes are canceled.

Klamath county school district is making some changes to its school based health center.

It is now allowing any child in klamath county to see its medical providers really low as a family nurse practitioner at the klamath health partnership.

Thanks very much for joining us today.

Thank you.

So what make this change?

I guess.

Well, we knew with the coven, uh, restrictions on schools, and it can all self isolating and stuff, that it would be a, to more of a challenge for people to access healthcare in general.

Um, and we know that the city school district doesn't have a similar.

Um, health center in place, and it was, we just kind of felt like in order to keep access open for students, health access, open for students, that we'd open up the clinic to any student in the whole of klamath county, not just the klamath county school district students.

And the district was kind enough to grant us permission to do that.

To folks have tmenpointment.

I, at kindf services do youprovidea ttle easier to manage, um,e, the certaly are willing to takelk-i, lnessinjury, well exams. um, vaccinations, sports,ysicalh re.

I mean, we're really all ser ctor's office pretty much.

Um,u.

Have lab onsite.

We don't ve x-ray there at the schlinic,.

We just referatients down here.

Ifhe's been an injury and we need an x ray.

Should ople coming into your clinic masked up and ready to try d protect not only your provids but themselves?

Um,ahiwf we've got somebody who comes through the door without one, we're prepared to provide one for them.

You mentioned that a lot of folks who came to the door may not have been coming before.

How is this paid for?

Do you accept insurance?

Is it tough to be a student in the district and it's compensated that way?

How does the process work.

Now the district doesn't compensate anything for the, for the exams. we do bill insurance first and foremost.

Um, but we don't turn away any student for the inability to pay.

So we try to make arrangements through like sliding scale, through open door, you know, through the main clinic.

Um, we do also take oregon health plan, so we're willing to take any student who needs the assistance.

What do you think is most important for parents to know in terms of their child's health during this challenging time?

I, you know, i think it's just as important to make sure that the parents are ensuring that their children are taking or are being protected with the same kind of precautions that they would take as adults.

I know in ensuring good what i call illness hygiene.

In other words, you know, covering those costs and sneezes and washing hands really well and not sharing food or drink and masking and even employing the social distancing right now.

Um, i know i fear that adults may do this, but it's a bigger challenge with the younger kids.

Really low quality high schools.

We appreciate your taking time to fill us in and hope your folks are keeping people well.

Appreciate it.

Thank