Salish Kootenai College opens student health center

The Salish Kootenai College is set to open its first Student Health Center next week as a joint effort with the Salish and Kootenai Tribal Health Department.

The center will be located at the college’s campus in Pablo and will open on Monday. It will provide limited primary medical care, nursing, referrals and health education resources to the college’s students.

Kevin Howlett, head of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ health department, said the agreement between the department and the college is an extension of the organization’s mission to increase the overall health and quality of life for the tribal community.

“Creating this resource enriches the campus, and helps to keep students focused on their academics through the access to important health resources,” Howlett said in a prepared statement.

This will be the department’s sixth clinic to open on the Flathead Reservation, according to the Tribal Health Department’s website.

The new health center comes at a time when access to health coverage has grown throughout Montana through the extension of Medicaid, which went into effect in January.

The Tribal Health Department estimated the Medicaid expansion could provide access to health care for an additional 2,000 people living on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

The center will also care for students’ qualified dependents, as well as college faculty and staff, according to the department.

Other examples of health-care services at the center will include management of minor illnesses and injuries, interval management of chronic illnesses, simple diagnostic testing such as pregnancy testing and strep screening, and physical exams for educational programs.

The center’s list of services will vary based on the academic calendar. From September through June each school year the clinic will offer a full set of services Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Off-season, the clinic will have a reduced list of services.

A formal dedication event for the Student Health Center will take place sometime in May.

Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at khoughton@dailyinterlake.com.