Free summer clinic helps those in need.

Byline: Anne Williams The Register-Guard

Eugene mother Dana Clark had tried echinaecea, zinc and assorted other natural remedies, but the coughs proved tenacious.

At her wits' end after three weeks of it, she brought her two children to the free Summer Health Clinic for Lane County kids, which opened Monday at North Eugene High School.

"That's a juicy sounding cough with your sister," nurse practitioner Carol Matney told 8-year-old Michael Evan, poking a thermometer into his ear. "What's your cough been like?"

Not as bad, as it turned out. Forty minutes later, Clark left with a diagnosis of bronchitis for 2-year-old Grace, a free sample of antibiotics to get her started and a nearly clean bill of health for Michael Evan, who appeared to be at the tail-end of his bug.

"It was really great when I found out siblings can go, too," said Clark, who occasionally takes Michael Evan, a student at Harris Elementary School, to the South Eugene High School health center during the school year.

Clark and her husband have medical insurance through their employers, but the plans don't cover the children, she said.

That's true for many of the families who visit the summer clinic from all over Lane County, said Maxine Proskurowski, head of health services for the Eugene School District. Others have no health insurance for anyone in the family, and still others have some coverage but can't afford to pay the deductible or co-payment.

"We saw 442 (children) last summer, and 305 of them had no access to any other health care," Proskurowski said.

That visit count exceeded the usual number by nearly 100, she said, and she expects another busy year. The economy was already wobbly, she noted, but this year state cuts to health and social services have further bolstered the ranks of the uninsured.

"A lot of people have lost coverage because they're unemployed," she said. "A lot of them are single parents working minimum-wage jobs without any insurance."

Summer health clinic director Debbie Knox helped found the North Eugene center 17 years ago, and has been working with the summer clinics since they began eight years ago.

"I've worked in human services since 1977, and I've never, never seen it like this," she said. "Everything is collapsing for any kind of human services."

In fact, the fate of the summer clinic is murky. While various agencies were able to cobble together enough money to keep it going this year, there's no guarantee they'll be able to pull it off again, Knox said.

"We'll do as much as we can," she said. "That's our commitment."

With state cuts and the loss of some grant funds, the district's four school-year health centers - one at each high school - lost $471,000 this year, Proskurowski said.

Half of the state's 44 school-based health centers have closed in the last couple of years, she said, including Willamette High School's in the Bethel district.

The cost of the 29-day summer clinic is about $36,000. Funding comes from several sources, including the Lane County Human Services Commission, the PeaceHealth Employees Council, Eugene Parks and Recreation and the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative.

The school district provides space, and various medical offices provide free or low-cost services and prescriptions by referral.

The clinic is staffed by a registered nurse, a nurse practitioner, a health clerk and a mental health therapist. Physical exams are the most common request, Matney said, especially with new school sports rules that require them every two years instead of just once in high school. Typical ailments include seasonal allergies, asthma and respiratory illnesses, she said.

IF YOU GO

Where: North Eugene High School, 250 Silver Lane

When: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., through Aug. 14

Who's eligible: All Lane County children and their siblings, preschool through grade 12, who have no access to medical care

Services: Immunizations, physical exams, treatment of acute and chronic illnesses and injuries, reproductive care, mental health counseling

For an appointment: Call 687-3271

CAPTION(S):

Michael Evan Clark, 8, opens wide during a checkup at the clinic.