Everett and Cascade to open free student health centers

EVERETT — High school students in Everett will have access to free health care services next year, thanks to two new school-based health centers.

Everett and Cascade high schools plan to offer on-site primary, mental health and dental care by the start of school next fall. Community Health Center of Snohomish County, a network of government-funded clinics for low-income residents, will manage and staff the health centers.

The services, provided at no cost to families, include wellness exams, sports physicals, medication management, counseling, dental cleanings, insurance help and referrals to other providers. Community Health Center provides interpreter services through bilingual staff as well as virtual language services if needed.

The clinic will operate under standard minor health privacy rules. Parents or guardians need to fill out a consent form before most services, and when appropriate, will be included in student care.

Once the clinics are open, students can make appointments before, during or after school. Community Health Center workers will also use the space to connect students to housing, food and clothing resources.

The centers will target students — often from low-income, under-insured or non-English speaking families — who would otherwise go without health services, said Karen Kirwin, a spokesperson for Community Health Center of Snohomish County.

Last school year at Everett High, 57.6% of students came from low-income families, more than 10% were experiencing homelessness and 13% were English language learners, according to a report from the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. At Cascade, 57% of students came from low-income families, 7% were experiencing homelessness and about 16% were English language learners.

Everett Public Schools reported that students with financial, housing and language barriers were up to 21 times more likely to drop out.

“There’s barriers for a lot of students,” said David Peters, director of student support services at the school district. “Putting a clinic right in the place where they’re learning makes it so accessible.”

In March, state legislators granted Community Health Center of Snohomish County $488,000 to renovate the future clinical spaces — an empty science classroom at Everett High, and unused gym bathrooms at Cascade.

The bathrooms will need more work than the classroom, said Darcy Walker, the facilities and planning director at Everett Public Schools. But construction efforts will have little impact on teaching and learning.

“Both of these spaces are easily accessible for a construction crew,” Walker said. “It’s pretty ideal.”

The county’s first school-based health center launched in 2022 at Meadowdale High School in Lynnwood. Community Health Center had used local survey results — including that over 28% of 12th graders reported not visiting the dentist in the past year — to bring the facilities to local schools. Statewide, school clinics have existed since the 1990s.

In January, Community Health Center opened its second Edmonds School District clinic at Mountlake Terrace High School.

On-site services have increased student health care access in the county by 12%, according to a proposal to state lawmakers for the new Everett school clinics. School-based clinics can also create a pipeline to careers in health care for students who intern with Community Health Center of Snohomish County.

“I’ve seen what these school-based health centers can do in school districts,” said Everett Public Schools spokesperson Harmony Weinberg. “I’m excited for Everett public schools to have them, too.”

Sydney Jackson: 425-339-3430; sydney.jackson@heraldnet.com; X: @_sydneyajackson.