Mount Tahoma clinic removes barriers to health care for students

High school senior Angelina Herron started playing flag football for Mount Tahoma High School when she was a sophomore. The teen plays a sport every season and was looking forward to trying something new.

Herron quickly fell in love with the competitive nature of the sport. But just before her senior year, she thought she might not be able to continue.

When her annual sports physical was due, she wasn’t sure where to turn to complete her physical in time for the season. Herron had recently turned 18 and found herself between having a pediatrician and finding a primary care provider.

That’s when she visited the MultiCare clinic at Mount Tahoma. The school-based clinic opened in September 2022 to provide students with an option for care that fits their unique needs. Some of Herron’s friends had visited the clinic for various health concerns and spoke highly of their experiences there.

The on-site clinic — which aims to remove barriers for students needing care — provides preventive care, behavioral health care and treatment for illness and injury.

MultiCare providers staff the clinic two days a week and offer a range of services, including sports physicals, family planning and treatment of colds and coughs. A partnership with Greater Lakes Mental Healthcare brings counseling services on-site once a week.

Students seen at the clinic also have access to a continuum of care with referrals to other MultiCare services such as labs, X-rays, physical therapy, orthopedics or Mary Bridge Children’s, as needed.

Creating healthy communities

“Being present at this level in the school and community really allows us to live out our mission of partnering for healing and a healthy future,” says Cyd Marckmann, director of MultiCare’s school-based clinics. “When we can meet kids where they are and engage them in their health, we can lay the groundwork to help them be healthier adults.”

For Herron, that means not only addressing her current health needs, but also helping her create a care plan for after graduation. The clinic has referred her to MultiCare primary care providers accepting new patients, so she knows where to turn for care in the future.

Mrs. K or Kara, as she’s known by students, is a certified medical assistant who leads the clinic. She sees firsthand the sense of relief and gratitude students feel when direct health care is available to them.

“There’s something positive that changes in these kids when they have access to care, when they can be heard and when they have support that maybe they didn’t have before,” she says. “It gives the students a sense of empowerment and helps them feel more in control of their lives, which improves their sense of self and their confidence to do so many other things.”

Building a healthy future

Bringing primary care to the school allows students to develop trusted relationships with health care providers at a young age, which is proven to contribute to a healthier life.

“Primary care is about developing relationships, about showing up and listening,” says Marckmann. “When adults do that with kids and engage them in things that are important to them, they develop that trusted relationship, and that really makes a difference.”

Beyond the primary care services offered at the clinic, Mrs. K sees a much bigger impact on the student community. They feel very connected to the clinic, she says, and come to ask questions about MultiCare’s nursing assistant and medical assistant residency programs.

Seeing that curiosity and those pathways open for students has been an unexpected benefit.

Making health care accessible

The Mount Tahoma clinic removes many barriers students may face when accessing care. Appointments are available during the school day, and students don’t have to rely on the availability of a parent or guardian to drive them elsewhere.

Clinic staff work with students to have prescriptions filled at pharmacies near their homes or on their bus routes. And a partnership with Communities in Schools helps students without insurance get the coverage they need.

“The clinic provides direct access and quick attention so students who may be feeling unwell can get better and return to school more quickly,” Mrs. K says.

MultiCare also operates a school-based clinic at Oakland High School. Tacoma Public Schools and MultiCare have a long-standing partnership that includes Healthcare Careers Academy, a four-year, part-time high school program that prepares students for careers in the medical field.