BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME FIRST ON-CAMPUS HEALTH CLINIC FOR L.A. COUNTY, LAUSD.

Byline: RICK COCA Valley News Writer

Calling the Northeast Valley ground zero for health care problems in Los Angeles County, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky hailed the recent groundbreaking for the Sun Valley Health Center on the campus of Sun Valley Middle School.

Yaroslavsky said it has been one of his longtime goals to help put a clinic on a school campus.

Analysts have told him that they expect the clinic to serve 20,000 to 25,000 people annually.

``It is the largest school- based clinic, to our knowledge, ever built in the nation,'' Yaroslavsky said.

The clinic will be a joint venture of Los Angeles County government, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Northeast Valley Health Corp. and the UCLA-David Geffen School of Medicine. Offering primary care for students and their families, the Spanish Mission-style clinic will have about 11,000 square feet with 13 exam rooms, a pharmacy, lab, education and training rooms, as well as four counseling rooms. The clinic also will offer services under federal programs such as WIC, providing supplemental nutrition for women, infants and children.

Yaroslavsky said planning for the clinic got under way after he approached LAUSD Superintendent Roy Romer when land became available adjacent to the school. Yaroslavsky said he told Romer county government would ante up millions of dollars of discretionary funds for a clinic if LAUSD would ``give us the land for nothing.''

``He didn't talk to his lawyers. He didn't talk to his real estate guy. He said, `Let's do it,''' Yaroslavsky said.

County government will construct the clinic on the school campus under a long-term lease with LAUSD.