HOOD RIVER, Ore., July 24, 2017 – With summer in full swing and kids out of school, it’s the perfect opportunity for parents to schedule in time to address their child’s health care. And thanks to a special 12-month program available through December, free primary care is currently accessible and available to the most vulnerable youth in the Columbia River Gorge Region. Called I’m healthy! (¡Soy sano! in Spanish), this Oregon Health Authority grant-funded program uniquely supports children and teens under the age of 19 who do not qualify for full Oregon Health Plan benefits or Qualified Health Plans. It’s being offered at One Community Health (OCH) locations in both Hood River and The Dalles. “Through I’m healthy!, Oregon safety net providers like OCH offer a number of primary and preventive care services at no charge to these patients,” says Lynne Frost, OCH’s clinical operations director. “Safety net providers include Federally Qualified Health Centers, rural health centers, as well as trusted community-based organizations.”
In addition, OCH is partnered with The Next Door, which is helping communicate the program availability. It is handling outreach to the population of children and teens that the program benefits and providing referrals to OCH for services.
“Communities are stronger when every child has the right to grow up healthy. Kids are kids, and no child deserves to suffer,” says Liliana Lachino, community health worker at The Next Door. Those who qualify for I’m healthy! receive physical, dental, mental, behavioral and enabling services (such as transportation support and perinatal care) through OCH at no-cost.
Services such as referrals and/or orders for labs, imaging, specialty services, and medications are not available through I’m healthy!
While I’m healthy! runs through Dec. 31, 2017, the goal of the program goes far beyond serving these youth in the short term. Once these patients are seen by OCH, the health center can now become their established home for
ongoing, affordable primary and preventive health care, helping ensure greater wellness over the years to come.
That said, Oregon Governor Kate Brown is soon expected to sign “Cover All Kids” (SB 558), a bill that gives all children in Oregon the same access to health care. Once law, SB 558—which was passed by Oregon’s legislature in July—will extend health care coverage through the Oregon Health Plan to all children in Oregon up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level. It will also ensure outreach is conducted in culturally and linguistically sensitive ways so to maximize enrollment. Under “Cover All Kids,” an estimated 17,000 additional Oregon children will have access to health care. “This is exciting news for the health and wellness of these children and teens,” Frost says, “Yet until Jan. 1, 2018, when the law is expected to go into effect, I’m healthy! gives OCH a more immediate opportunity to help this patient population while building important relationships with these youth under our care.” For more information, contact: Lynne Frost, 541.386.6380.
About One Community Health One Community Health (OCH) is a nonprofit, Federally Qualified Health Center with locations in The Dalles and Hood River, Ore. Formerly known as La Clínica del Cariño Family Health Care Center, Inc., it was founded in 1986 and, today, has evolved into an official Patient-Centered Primary Care Home. OCH currently provides services to over 11,000 patients. In addition, OCH excels in providing proactive educational programs and support that sustain its integrated approach to health and wellbeing. Dedicated to advancing health and social justice for all its community members, OCH serves patients from the Mid-Columbia River Gorge Region: Wasco, Hood River, Klickitat and Skamania Counties. For more information, click here or visit: http://www.onecommunityhealth.org/.
About The Next Door
The Next Door, Inc. (TNDI) is a non-profit organization that serves seven counties, five in Oregon and two in Washington. The Next Door’s mission is opening doors to new possibilities by strengthening children and families and improving communities, and envisioning a supportive community where all children and families are safe, healthy, and valued. For more information visit http://nextdoorinc.org/.
