Health Clinic @ NEHS

Page last updated August 28, 2009 1:31 PM

 

Hours

MON: 8am- 4pm
TUE: 8am-4pm
WED: 8am-12pm
THU: 8am-4pm
FRI: 8am-4pm

Closed on no-school days

 

Contact Info

Go to the CONTACT page for phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

 

Services

District 4J operates a school-based health center at North Eugene High School. The center is staffed with a school nurse, health clerk, a nurse practitioner, and a mental health therapist.

The nurse practitioner can prescribe and treat acute and chronic illness. Physicals and immunizations are also available, as are mental health services from mental health therapists.

Here are some examples of services we can provide:
• Well-child exams
• Physicals for sports or camps
• Assessment / treatment of acute illness
• Assessment / treatment for chronic conditions such as asthma
• Immunizations
• Women's health care exams
• Diagnostic tests/X-rays
• Mental health assessment and services
• Health education

We also work closely with the Guidance and Counseling Department

 

Costs & Eligibility

Services available to 4J students residing in the NEHS region and their siblings aged birth to 19 years old. The clinic offers free or low cost health care to families with no health insurance. We can also bill OHP and other private insurance companies. Donations to help fund the Center are gratefully accepted and are tax deductible to the extent the law allows.

 

Confidentiality and Reporting

The student is the client. Services provided to students in the health center are confidential with the exception of situations where safety is an issue. Parents are notified of care given when the student is unsafe to self or others (including suicide threats, high levels of drug or alcohol abuse, eating disorders etc.) or with the student’s permission. We encourage students to communicate with parents regarding their health care, their health concerns, and other situations. The focus is on empowering students to practice healthy lifestyles. All public employees are required to report suspected abuse regardless of when it happens.

 

What is a Nurse Practitioner?

A nurse practitioner (NP) is a registered nurse with advanced academic and clinical experience, which enables him or her to diagnose and manage most common and many chronic illnesses, either independently or as part of a health care team. A nurse practitioner provides some care previously offered only by physicians and in most states has the ability to prescribe medications. Working in collaboration with a physician, a nurse practitioner provides high-quality, cost-effective and individualized care for the lifespan of patient's special needs.

 

NPs focus largely on health maintenance, disease prevention, counseling and patient education in a wide variety of settings. With a strong emphasis on primary care, nurse practitioners are employed within several specialties, including neonatology, nurse-midwifery, pediatrics, school health, family and adult health, women's health, mental health, home care, geriatrics and acute care.

 

Nurse practitioners are educated through programs that grant either a certificate or a master's degree. A registered nurse is recommended to have extensive clinical experience before applying to a nurse practitioner program. An intensive apprenticeship under the direct supervision of a physician or an experienced nurse practitioner, as well as instruction in nursing theory, are key components to most NP programs.

 

Lastly, the scope of an NP's practice varies depending upon each state's regulations. Unnecessary obstacles to an NP's practice contribute to the rising costs and inaccessibility of health care for all Americans.

 

About the Staff

	Debbie Knox, R.N. I was born in Wisconsin. When I was 16, my family moved to Denver, Colorado. I graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing in 1973. I have worked in the field of nursing for 30 years. My areas of practice have included: orthopedics, labor and delivery, childbirth education, obstetrics and gynecology, mental health and school nursing. I have worked in the health center at North Eugene since 1986. I have a grown son and daughter who both graduated from North.
	Nancy Borges, P.N.P. I was born in Ft.Collins, Colorado and grew up in the suburbs of Denver. I received a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing at the University of Northern Colorado in 1974. I worked in an Emergency Dept. in Ft. Collins, Colorado until I moved to Eugene in 1976. I worked at Sacred Heart Hospital in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for 4 years. In 1981, I received my certificate as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at University of Colorado. I worked in private practice with two local Pediatricians, Dr. Robert Velarde and Dr. Larry Fickenscher until Debbie Knox and I opened the Health Center at North Eugene in 1986. I am married. I have a grown son who graduated from SEHS. He is married. My husband and I now have two grandsons.
	Mark Oldham, L.C.S.W. I am a Eugene native and graduated from Willamette High School. I have a B.A. from the University of Oregon. I also received a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Louisville in Kentucky. I worked for 8 years investigating child abuse and neglect cases for the state child welfare agency in Eugene. Next, I worked at the Johnson Unit (the impatient psychiatric unit) at Sacred Heart Medical Center for 14 years. In 1996, my wife and I moved to Europe. For one year, I was a drug and alcohol counselor in a Dept. of Defense Dependents School. I also worked as a contractor for Army Community Service and was a mental health therapist in private practice. After returning to Eugene , I worked for a year at a local outpatient mental health program, Direction Service Counseling. I began working in the district’s school based health center in 1999. I currently serve the on the State of Oregon Board of Clinical Social Work. My wife and I have two grown children. They both graduated from the IHS program at SEHS.
	Tina Guerrero, Health Clerk I am originally from the island of Guam, located in the South Pacific Ocean, and moved to Eugene, Oregon in 1994. I have worked in the medical field for the past 13 years. I originally started at South Eugene Health Center and transferred to North in 2001. I am hoping to eventually complete my Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education, and become a fourth grade teacher. I am married and have three beautiful daughters.