Panther Clinic brings healthcare to Palisades Glacier students

Celebrating the Panther Clinic’s grand opening with a ribbon-cutting at Palisades Glacier High School are, from left, Barry Simpson, Superintendent, Inyo County Office of Education; Dr. Claudia Moya-Tanner, President of the Bishop Unified School District Board of Trustees; Katie Kolker, Bishop Unified School District Superintendent; Colleen McEvoy, NIHD Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner; Patrick Twomey, Palisades Glacier High School Principal; Jean Turner, Zone II representative on the Northern Inyo Healthcare District Board of Directors; and Allison Partridge, NIHD Chief Operations Officer and Chief Nursing Officer. Photos by Barbara Laughon/Northern Inyo Healthcare District

Northern Inyo Healthcare District and Bishop Unified School District celebrated the grand opening of the Panther Clinic Friday, Oct. 2, at Palisades Glacier High School. The clinic began serving students that day, expanding the districts’ partnership to provide healthcare on school campuses.

The clinic serves Palisades Glacier students and builds on the districts’ work at the Bronco Clinic at Bishop Union High School. Both help students get care with less time away from class and fewer trips for families.

“Working together, we took what was once a vision and made it a reality,” said Allison Partridge, NIHD’s Chief Operations Officer and Chief Nursing Officer. “Much appreciation goes to the Inyo County Office of Education, Bishop Unified School District, the Palisades Glacier High School team and our NIHD team for the collaboration that made this possible.”

The Panther Clinic’s hours are 8:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on the first Friday of each month. Students may make an appointment or drop by for care. The team will review student needs to determine whether to adjust the schedule.

Inside the Panther Clinic exam room during the clinic’s grand opening are, from left, Jamie Moore, NIHD Medical Assistant; Colleen McEvoy, NIHD Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner; and Jean Turner, Zone II representative on the Northern Inyo Healthcare District Board of Directors.

Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Colleen McEvoy oversees both clinics, with support from NIHD primary care and pediatric providers as needed.

Services include care for minor illnesses and injuries, initial treatment for asthma attacks, acne treatment, and treatment for depression, anxiety and substance abuse. Students can also receive reproductive healthcare, including birth control and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. At Palisades students’ request, the Panther Clinic also offers TB testing for employment.

Other services include over-the-counter medications for pain and allergies, health education and referrals to community agencies. The clinics do not currently offer vaccines.

Most services require parental consent, but parents do not need to attend every visit. Some services have separate consent and privacy rules under state law. The clinics collect insurance and billing information and bill for some services. No student is turned away because they lack insurance or cannot pay.

Work on the Panther Clinic began in May, with plans to open at the start of the school year. Delays in preparing the space moved the opening to October. Bishop Unified provided $50,000 toward startup costs and remodeling. An additional $9,000 grant from the Foster Youth Coordinating Program supported setup and programming.

Before moving to Inyo County, McEvoy worked in similar clinics in the Bay Area. She brought the idea to Bishop Unified more than 10 years ago. Barry Simpson, Superintendent of the Inyo County Office of Education, fondly remembers those early conversations.

Barry Simpson addresses those gathered for the Panther Clinic Grand Opening.

“Leadership isn’t about how many great ideas you have. It’s about recognizing great ideas,” said Simpson, who led Bishop Unified when the program took shape. “I believed in Colleen when she told me it would be successful, and we worked together to make it happen at BUHS.”

“The Panther Clinic is an exciting expansion of that original idea,” Simpson continued. “It shows what can happen when two agencies come together to serve our community. This is a great thing for our students, and I want to thank the Northern Inyo Healthcare District Board and the Bishop Unified School Board. Everyone involved should be very proud.”

Students from Big Pine High School may eventually be able to use the Panther Clinic, McEvoy said, but transportation and other details still need to be worked out between the school districts. “In the future, I’d love to see us continue this work in Lone Pine,” McEvoy said.

McEvoy credited the boards and staff from both districts for establishing and supporting the Panther Clinic. “I may have helped get the conversation started, but it took many, many people working together to make these clinics possible,” she said. “And for that teamwork, I am grateful.”

For more information, visit NIHD’s school-based clinics webpage.

Just some of the NIHD team members who helped bring the Panther Clinic to life pause here for a photo on the day the clinic was assembled. Back row, from left: Jannalyn Lawrence, Director of Outpatient Clinics; Lynda Vance, Manager of Project Management; Scott Stoner, Manager of Clinical Engineering; Neil Lynch, Director of Purchasing; Fabiola Esparza, Business Office Manager; and Brandon Cox, Maintenance Manager. Front row, from left: Laura Partridge, Pediatrics Nurse; Rosie Graves, Primary Care Practice Manager; and Annette Sadler, Environmental Services Assistant Manager.