DISTRICT VIEWS HEALTH CLINIC DIXON CENTER MAY OPEN AT ELEMENTARY.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

NEWHALL - Newhall Elementary School may soon open its doors to the Samuel Dixon Family Health Center, providing health care to the community through a new partnership.

A proposal before the district's governing board Tuesday night would allow the Val Verde-based clinic to move into classrooms formerly used by the federally funded Healthy Start program, which provided health care to children and families before 2003 budget cutbacks eliminated the program.

According to the memorandum of understanding awaiting approval, a room off 11th Street next to the multipurpose building, separate from student and staff areas of the school, will be used by the center. Maintenance, custodial services and utilities will be provided by the district.

The center will primarily service children under 18, but family members may be included when necessary. All medications, medical supplies and equipment will be secured by the center, which is also responsible for its own malpractice and liability insurance.

Hours of operation are tentatively set for Wednesdays from noon to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

``When this came along, I said yes immediately,'' Newhall Superintendent Marc Winger said. ``The room was already converted for this kind of use when the Healthy Start program was in there, so it couldn't be better.''

Cheryl Laymon, executive director of the Samuel Dixon Family Health Center, said that the school's offer seems too good to be true.

``Newhall has always been an area of interest,'' Laymon said. ``A lot of Newhall patients go to either the Val Verde or Canyon Country clinics. We realize if we make it easier to get affordable health care, then people will be healthier and the community will benefit.''

Laymon said the clinic's board recently came up with a three-year strategic plan that called for a full-time, comprehensive health care center that would also offer dental services.

``We decided if we could find space in Newhall, we could start out providing children's services, nothing really complicated,'' she said. ``We approached the district at just at the right time because there were two rooms that weren't being used. Everybody agreed that making health care available to the community would be a good use of space.''

The Dixon center had a minimal presence in Newhall a few years ago, working out of a room at the county's Community Services office on San Fernando Road and a grant-financed mobile health van. When funding dried up two years ago, clinic supporters tried to keep it going, but in May 2004, the Newhall office closed and the van was sold to a hospital in Los Angeles.

Laymon said a grant request to fund the Newhall campus startup is in the works; if approved, the clinic could open as early as June, offering services 20 hours a week. The clinic initially will focus on pediatric services, including preliminary assessments, wellness care, immunizations, treatment of minor illnesses and injuries and physicals with referrals to their facilities in Val Verde or Canyon Country for more complex services.

``This just went so smooth, we are all waiting for the other shoe to drop,'' she said.

A school administrator told Laymon the space would come at no cost as long as needed.

Winger said three areas would benefit from the clinic's presence: the neighborhood surrounding Newhall Elementary, the Arch/Race/Pine streets areas and the Valle de Oro neighborhood surrounding McGrath Elementary.

``We see the demographics changing every year, but this center will help all of our students,'' Winger said. He couldn't help but think the current development was a tribute to Laura Sanders, the former assistant principal of Newhall Elementary who died in 2004.

``The Healthy Start program was her baby,'' Winger said. ``She put her heart and soul into the program and now we'll have another clinic to help the students. This is the way things happen.''

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com