School Based Health Centers

TEEN CONFIDENTIALITY -- Know Your Rights

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

SERVICES & CONSENT

Our staff is trained to understand and treat the special health care needs of teens and includes: a nurse practitioner, naturopathic doctors, 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.

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 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 and worked in the environmental science field for 10 years including working for Jefferson County Environmental Health from 2002-2005. In 2015, she was recognized by her peers as one of Seattle’s “Top Doctors.”

Dr Bower practices with a focus on preventative and women’s health along with comprehensive adolescent care in the School Based Health Centers. She works with all people to optimize health while utilizing a variety of tools including nutritional support, botanical medicine, and the foundations of health to achieve this. 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 patients restore health and well-being. Dr. Bower has two young adult daughters who live in Seattle.

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.

Erin Vicha, ND, RH (AHG)

Dr. Erin Vicha is a Naturopathic Doctor and a resident of Jefferson County since 2002. She completed her doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine at Bastyr University in Seattle, WA. She is also a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild. Prior to becoming an ND, she studied Forestry and Wildlife Habitat at the University of Massachusetts and worked on various forest ecology research projects. Her love of plants naturally brought her to an interest in herbal medicine and she became a wildcrafter, herbal medicine maker, and herbalist before deciding to go back to school to study Naturopathic Medicine.

As a mother of two teens, she enjoys working in the school based health centers with youth, as well as in the main clinic providing sexual and reproductive health to people of all ages. She loves having the opportunity to both provide help with an immediate need as well as to support overall health. She aims to create relationships that foster education and self-empowerment. Her training in Naturopathic Medicine allows her to use a wide variety of treatment options as well as focusing on the foundational aspects of health and seeing the many factors that contribute to health as whole.