The Oakville School District has taken a major step in addressing the wellbeing of its community by offering a weekly school-based health center (SBHC) at its elementary school.
The program began last winter and is open to all district students and staff every Monday while school is open and in session. The district said summer hours could be added in the future.
Dr. Laura Galati, a naturopathic doctor, is a medical provider and licensed physician who runs the center. She described the SBHC as a “doctor’s office inside the school,” with a focus on decreasing absenteeism, removing barriers to care and making it easier for people to see the doctor.
“Oftentimes, there's not (a doctor) locally, so they have to drive around,” Galati said of her patients. “Oftentimes, it's really hard to get in to see your provider. They're not taking patients right away. You have to wait three months, that kind of thing. So it's just a way to hopefully improve access to health care and decrease absenteeism.”
The more students are away from school, Galati said, the more likely they are to fall behind.
Immediate health care access is important in a town like Oakville, especially when the nearest provider is sometimes as far as Elma, 15 miles away, or even Olympia. Members of the Chehalis Tribe can access care through the tribe’s medical services.
The Chronicle visited Galati on a Monday afternoon. That day, she had seen three patients. The physician said she sees upwards of 12 patients a day, depending on how busy it is. She also runs the school-based health center for the North Beach School District every Tuesday.
Galati is a naturopathic physician who previously ran her own private practice and has also worked as a midwife. Galati started contracting with the Grays Harbor Public Health Department about two years ago, before becoming an employee a little over a year ago.
The doctor said she’s always had an interest in public health and helping people. She served in the Peace Corps out of college, where she was stationed in the Philippines.
“It just really made me more aware of things like … how to interact culturally with people,” Galati said. “I feel like it did really improve my ability to kind of communicate with people of all walks of life and understand where they're coming from a little bit easier. And also just the wide variety of how people live and the conditions that you live in and things like that.”
The Oakville School-Based Health Center is funded through a grant from the state Department of Health and managed by the Grays Harbor Public Health Department. Galati said the overall goal of the program is to expand across the state. Most of the centers, she said, are currently in the Seattle region, though there is one in Elma.
The ways in which the centers are established, and the services they provide, vary by the location.
“Some of them do dentistry. Mental health is a big one,” Galati said. “And some of them are full-time, depending on the needs of the students and who runs them.”
Galati’s medical credentials allow her to prescribe medications, something that is not always possible at a school clinic, depending on the qualifications of the available nurse.
“If you have an ear infection, I can prescribe antibiotics, so you don't have to go somewhere else,” Galati said. “If you are needing a refill for your medication, but you're not able to get into your doctor to get the refill, I can do that … Depending on the situation, I might start you on medication.”
Galati added that her preference is for a patient to also have a primary care provider, simply because she is not at the school during the summertime and is only onsite one day a week.
“But there are times when people are in between primary care providers or they haven't found one yet, and so I will kind of do that work while we're trying to find someone else or if they aren't able to find another provider,” Galati said.
The physician also provides vaccines, sports physicals and referrals to other providers.
Galati believes her experience as a licensed naturopathic doctor allows for a more holistic approach to her practice. She said interest is growing in the field and patients are receptive.
“And so there's actually a lot of people that I see in the community who see (naturopathic physicians) for their primary care providers,” Galati said. “But it's nice if they're hesitant about using a certain medication and I can talk to them about other options.”
In addition to her regular medical duties, Galati is also able to provide health education to students and teachers. Prevention and promotion are big aspects of SBHCs, she said.
The doctor emphasized that the Oakville SBHC is truly a doctor’s office in that all patient information is confidential and kept separate from the school. That said, if permission is granted, Galati can coordinate matters with relevant staff, as needed.
The Oakville School-Based Health Center is open to district students and staff Mondays at the elementary school from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Potential no-cost services include preventative health care, health screenings, diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions, management of chronic conditions and sick visits for issues like ear infections and strep throat.
To learn more about the SBHC, visit www.tinyurl.com/SBHCRegPkt.
