Google Contributes $50K to Support Dufur School Health Center
New school-based health center in Dufur to provide care for students, community with support from Google. Dufur School hopes to use the funds to address local barriers to health care.
Photo: Dufur School District
Distributed by CASSIDY MONDA with C+C I All About The Good , a public relations firm with offices in Portland and headquarters in Seattle:
Dufur, Ore., April 24, 2024 — Today, April 24, Google announced it is contributing $50,000 to Dufur School District to support the creation of a new school-based health center designed to expand access to medical care for both students and the broader community. Dufur School will use the funds to purchase a modular building to house the new health center, which will offer medical services to students, staff, and others in the district.
Expanded services at the health center will help combat healthcare access issues in the area, due in part to an ongoing shortage of healthcare providers in rural areas across the country, including Wasco County. District officials hope the new school-based center will also improve school attendance and overall outcomes for students, particularly among its Native American students and staff, who face greater barriers to receiving consistent care.
“Like many other communities, we are tackling dual crises of decreasing health access as well as an increasing need for care to support mental and behavioral health” said Jack Henderson, Dufur School District Superintendent. “These funds will allow us to bring more convenient, reliable healthcare to our students, staff, and the Dufur community.”
The new funding builds on a $100,000 contribution from Google to the Columbia Gorge Education Service District in 2021, which will be used to bring new telehealth services for district students, increase mental health services, and build a similar school-based health center at The Dalles High School.
Regional school leaders and parents have identified access to mental healthcare as a priority in recent years, and students and families face barriers including cost, transportation, and distance needed to travel to attend appointments. Local school-based health centers address these challenges by delivering convenient care on-site during school hours, improving physical and mental health outcomes in children and delivering financial benefits for families who save on time and transportation.
“Dufur’s school-based health center along with the work of the Columbia Gorge ESD will strengthen the system that’s bringing reliable healthcare to more children and families in the region,” said Kate Franko, Google’s Regional Head of Data Center Public Affairs. “We’re proud to be able to support this important work.”
Google has supported schools and organizations in The Dalles since 2006, when it opened its very first U.S. data center. Over the years, Google has provided more than $2 million in grants to Wasco County schools and nonprofits, including grants toward mental health services and to connect students to STEM education and robotics.
Photo: Dufur School District
To learn more about how you can support the Dufur Ranger’s health Center click here to read about their Ranger Pride Brick-A-Thon. Bricks sold will be used in a new courtyard connecting the School Based Health Center with the school, and will showcase the community support for the health and wellbeing of Dufur School students, now and in the future.
From the editor - Google has called Wasco County home since 2006 when it opened its very first U.S. data center in The Dalles after negotiating deals for property tax abatements lasting 15 years. Many of its 200 or so employees live throughout the gorge.
Most recently, The City and Wasco County agreed to 40 percent and 50 percent tax abatements for Google’s two new data centers in 2021 that are worth up to $147 million over the 15-year-lifespans of the agreement.
Under agreements with The City of the Dalles and Wasco County, Google has excercised its option to build up two additional data centers. The City of The Dalles has given approvals to site and construct the both data center on the former aluminum smelter site in the Port of The Dalles.
The company also plans to utilize water resources from the local groundwater aquifer after acquiring water rights for 3.88 million gallons per day attached to the former aluminum plant site in The Port of The Dalles. Google has also agreed to pay for $28.5 million of City water upgrades - Tom Peterson
Support Local News
Available to everyone; supported by readers like you.
