HomeMy WebLinkAboutSBHC Grant Application Review Committee CoNMIssr Board of County Commissioners
494w¢S coU 1820 Jefferson Street
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Port Townsend, WA 98368
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Kate Dean,District 1 Heidi Eisenhour,District 2 Greg Brotherton,District 3
April 8, 2022
To: SBHC Grant Application Review Committee
From: Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners
RE: Jefferson County Public Health's SBHC application
Dear SBHC Grant Application Review Committee:
The Jefferson County Board of County Commissioner's writes to you in full support of the Jefferson
County Public Health's proposal to the Department of Health for School Based Health Center (SBHC)
operational and expansion funds.
These funds will be used to continue and expand services provided in our SBHCs at a time when
demand is high, particularly for behavioral health services.
Increased funding will help our SBHCs better serve populations historically underserved. Jefferson
County is a rural community with high rates of poverty and limited access to health care. These funds
will support our SBHC goal of reaching students at increased risk of poor outcomes due to lack of
access to care, including: ESL students, homeless students, students in foster care, students with
exceptional education needs, BIPOC and LGBTQ+youth.
Jefferson County's SBHC staff work closely with community partners to inform their service model. A
few examples include:
• The County Commissioners participate in three Prevention Coalitions in the County where
SBHCs interact with healthcare and behavioral health providers as well as law enforcement,
school staff, and community members.
• Our SBHCs have an advisory committee with many of the same partners above to ensure that
community efforts are coordinated.
• Our Community Health Assessment and resulting Community Health Improvement Plan(CHIP)
has a working group focused specifically on prevention of youth suicide. Our SBHC plays an
integral role in this work group along with many other community partners.
We strongly support this grant application and its focus on reducing health disparities for youth who are
most likely to struggle to find access to age-appropriate, youth-friendly services that are sensitive to
their particular needs.
Jefferson County BOCC will continue to be a strong partner in ensuring that these clinics are supported
financially and operationally through the general fund support we provide to Jefferson County Public
Health and through robust participation in the specific efforts listed above.
Phone
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Caring for vulnerable youth is a high priority for this BOCC always, but especially now, given the
known and unknown impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on our teens. We strongly urge you to partner
with Jefferson County Public Health in funding our highly-valued SBHCs.
We look forward to working with you to eliminate heath disparities in our community, and to achieving
health equity throughout our county.
Sincerely,
Jefferson County Commissioners •
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Kate Dean Heidi Eisenhour, Chair Greg B otherton
District 1 District 2 District 3
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