School Based Health Centers

LOCATIONS

Port Townsend High School Health Center

Gael Stuart Building
Select weekday clinic hours; Telehealth available most days

Chimacum Junior/Senior High School Health Center

Off the Commons
Select weekday clinic hours; Telehealth available most days

Quilcene School District Health Center

Commons Area
Select weekday clinic hours; Telehealth available most days

Main Jefferson County Public Health Clinic

615 Sheridan Street, Port Townsend
Monday 1:00-4:00; Wednesday 9:00-4:00; Friday 9:00-4:00; Telehealth available most days

WE CAN HELP WITH

Acute Illness / Injury
Birth Control / Reproductive Health
Stress Management / Depression. We work with MCS Counseling Group in the schools to help provide these services.
Sports Physicals
Wellness and Nutrition
STI Screening / Treatment

COST

We bill all insurances
Free to Low-cost care when eligible
Students will not be turned away because of inability to pay.
Mental Health Services are covered by local tax and are not billed to patient.
$70 Sports Physicals

SERVICES & CONSENT

Our staff is trained to understand and treat the special health care needs of teens and includes: a nurse practitioner, a mental health counselor, and an office assistant. We coordinate your teen's care with community health care providers where appropriate, including the school nurse and local physicians.

Your child will receive excellent care at the School Based Health Centers. To get started, download the registration form (PDF) and have your child return the completed form to school. We follow Washington State laws on healthcare to minors and students must be registered with signed parental consent to be seen for medical concerns.

Sports Physical Form (PDF)

TEEN CONFIDENTIALITY

In Washington State, there are special laws that protect teen confidentiality. Anything you say about sex, drugs, and feelings in our clinics is confidential unless you give us permission to share it.

Teens are able to receive birth control, STI screenings, pregnancy testing and get answers to questions, and mental health services, all without having to contact a parent or guardian.

We do have to involve others to help if:

You are being abused (physically and/or sexually)
You are being neglected
You are going to hurt yourself or someone else
You are under 14 and having sex with someone 17 years old or older
You are under 16 and having sex with someone 20 years old or older

HOW TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

For medical appointments
Call 360-385-9400 option 3
or call/text 360-390-8560
For mental health appointments
Call 360-379-4609
Place request in the confidential box provided at the clinics
Walk-in

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

To promote lifelong wellness, through community partnership, by providing access to high-quality, comprehensive health services and education in a safe, nurturing on-campus environment, meeting the unique needs of adolescents.

Medical and mental health services are provided in a partnership between Jefferson Healthcare, Jefferson County Public Health and local school districts. Mental health services are contracted with MCS Counseling Group. The School Based Health Centers increase access to healthcare for school aged kids.

OUR PROVIDERS

Melinda Bower, ND

Dr. Melinda Bower is a naturopathic doctor at Jefferson County Public Health who received her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington. Dr Bower completed a one year residency at Bastyr Center for Natural Health in Seattle WA rotating through community health centers and major regional hospitals. Prior to medical school she received her BS in Environmental Science from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, OH. Dr Bower also teaches herbal medicine and gynecology at Bastyr University. In 2015, she was recognized by her peers as one of Seattle’s “Top Doctors.”
Dr. Bower practices with a focus on family medicine and women’s health. She has special interests in treating thyroid disorders, women’s health, autoimmune diseases and digestive disorders. She works with people to optimize health while utilizing a variety of tools including nutritional support, botanical medicine, and the foundations of health to achieve health. Dr. Bower’s integrative approach to medicine focuses on addressing the root cause of illness rather than just looking at the symptoms. Through this work, she is dedicated to helping you restore health and well-being in your life.

Susan Bone O’Brien, ARNP, MN

Susan Bone O’Brien, ARNP, MN, is a Family Nurse Practitioner who works at Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) Community Clinics to provide access to care for the community of Jefferson County since 1997. She specializes in reproductive health for all genders and ages, also providing comprehensive health care to adolescents in the School-Based Health Centers in Jefferson County.

Susan holds BSN and Masters in Nursing from the University of Washington and is board certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner by American Nursing Credentialing Center.

Susan values an environment where our clients feel safe and respected. She loves her work at the main clinic, with clients of all ages, and feels fortunate to get to work with adolescents in our schools, providing for their health care needs, since 2009. Her goal is to support and promote independence, self-awareness, and healthy relationships. She has two sons, who grew up on the peninsula.