Rainier Health Center serves student and adult medical needs

Columbia Health Services (CHS) is a local non-profit organization providing health and medical care throughout Columbia County. This includes prevention services, mental health, clinical care, and nutrition education through the WIC program.

The Rainier Health Center opened in 2009 and began as a student-focused service but expanded services in 2013 to include the broader community from its location on the Rainier High School Campus.

CHS is funded through a variety of channels, including funding for being a school-based health center; partnerships with health insurance companies, Medicaid, and Oregon Health Authority; and grants that support prevention programs.

“One thing I love about CHS is our ability to be nimble and responsive to what the community needs,” said CHS Director Sherrie Ford. “Some of the work we do, like suicide prevention and substance use prevention in partnership with schools, were in response to a need the community had that wasn't able to be met by other organizations. We saw that [suicide prevention support services were a] need and, in 2018, [we] partnered with schools and a lot of other people..to figure out what our community needs to reduce our suicide rate. [This] meant providing more belonging and connection over time so people had support services in place.”

In addition to mental health services for youth and adults (individual therapy, family counseling, and screenings) the Rainier Health Clinic also provides a range of medical services to help fill the gap. Primary care examples include physical and annual exams, sports physicals, immunizations, screenings, general wellness check-ups, management of chronic conditions and acute illnesses, blood tests and labs, which are sent to Quest or Labcorp for analysis, and a specialist referral network.

“We’re certified by Oregon Health Authority, which means if you are fortunate enough to have health insurance, when you're looking for a provider you can choose to be assigned to our clinic as your primary care medical provider,” said CHS Director Ford. “For those who don't have insurance, we have Oregon Health Plan application-assisters on staff to help navigate the application process [and] see if you're eligible for Medicaid or some kind of supplemental support. We [also] have a sliding scale program, and you can apply for the financial assistance program. If you qualify, based on a percentage of the federal poverty level, we can discount the cost of services.”

New patients can fill out a registration form on the Columbia Health Services website and specify which clinic they prefer. The Rainier Health Clinic is currently taking new patients and said they can satisfy an initial care appointment within a few weeks. Current patients are able to get in within the week for an appointment or be referred to an alternate clinic in Columbia County if there is a more urgent need. They are not currently accepting new Medicaid patients but plan to revisit that option in January.

“We're a family as a community based organization,” said Ford. “We're really proud of the breadth of services that we've been able to provide with really limited resources. Our next steps are things like family resource centers in the community so that people aren't having to travel to get their basic needs met. People might fall through the gaps.”

In addition to Rainier, CHS manages clinics in St Helens, Clatskanie (students only), and Vernonia. They are hiring for a mental health specialist, community health worker, and HR manager. Those interested in learning more are encouraged to visit the careers page on the CHS website (columbia-health.org).

The Rainier Health Clinic is open Monday thru Thursday from 8am - 4:30pm. Walk-ins are not encouraged. Call for appointment or same-day availability needs at 800-244-4870 or email contact@columbia-health.org.