THE DALLES — Google announced in April a contribution of $50,000 to Dufur School District to support the creation of a new school-based health center designed to expand access to medical care for both students and the broader community. Dufur School will use the funds to purchase a modular building to house the new health center, which will offer medical services to students, staff, and others in the district.
Expanded services at the health center will help combat healthcare access issues in the area, due in part to an ongoing shortage of healthcare providers in rural areas across the country, including Wasco County. District officials hope the new school-based center will also improve school attendance and overall outcomes for students, particularly among its Native American students and staff, who face greater barriers to receiving consistent care.
“Like many other communities, we are tackling dual crises of decreasing health access as well as an increasing need for care to support mental and behavioral health,” said Jack Henderson, Dufur School District superintendent. “These funds will allow us to bring more convenient, reliable healthcare to our students, staff, and the Dufur community.”
The new funding builds on a $100,000 contribution from Google to the Columbia Gorge Education Service District in 2021, which will be used to bring new telehealth services for district students, increase mental health services, and build a similar school-based health center at The Dalles High School.
Regional school leaders and parents have identified access to mental healthcare as a priority in recent years, and students and families face barriers including cost, transportation, and distance needed to travel to attend appointments. Local school-based health centers address these challenges by delivering convenient care on-site during school hours, improving physical and mental health outcomes in children and delivering financial benefits for families who save on time and transportation.
“Dufur’s school-based health center along with the work of the Columbia Gorge ESD will strengthen the system that’s bringing reliable healthcare to more children and families in the region,” said Kate Franko, Google’s regional head of data center public affairs. “We’re proud to be able to support this important work.”
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