By Katelyn Castanon: Staff Writer
The Wellness Center is more than just a place at the back corner of our school, it is a huge resource available to not only students but the entire community. The Wellness Center was placed on Carson Complex back in 2012 to further help those who are in need of general and reproductive health care at little to no cost. The Wellness Center is composed of two entities; the South Bay Family Health Care clinic and School Mental Health services.
The clinic’s services include general care, pediatric care, mental health related screenings, and reproductive health care. General and pediatric care deal includes those students who need sports clearance or even just catching up on vaccinations. Community members use the facility to get their check-ups and receive referrals to specialists. Kimberly Camarena, Carson High School senior, stated, “The center is a great place open to the public and even holds workshops for the elderly for further inform them on disease prevention.”
Diving deeper into the reproductive health offering, the clinic enrolls low-income individuals into a government funded program called Family Pact. Family Pact focuses on free family planning such as contraceptives and STD testing, and pregnancy tests. And, it’s totally confidential! You can even be enrolled without parental consent. Dr. Stephanie Do, the clinic’s OBGYN, has been with us for just over a year, wants to end stigma surrounding work done at the facility.
Do said, “I want students to feel safe to come in and take advantage of the services offered here, they are free! I would love to see everyone to take interest and normalize their preventive care.”
Mental Health Services focuses on individual and family therapy. The students and families served are all those who are enrolled in Los Angeles Unified School District and private schools within LAUSD boundaries. The services they provide are cognitive behavioral therapy, stress management, and counseling. Even though School Mental Health doesn’t have their own version of Fam Pact, they do have Kristie Garrison. She is the Healthy Start Program coordinator and acts as the liaison between the Wellness Center and LAUSD. She helps those that are interested in receiving mental health services by accommodating those who may have different insurances.
Her catch phrase has been known to be, “What do you need and what can I do to get these services for you?”
The clinic is open on weekdays, Mondays/Wednesdays/ Fridays from 8 am – 4:30 pm and Tuesdays/Thursdays from 8:30 am – 5:00 pm. School Mental Health services are open weekdays , as well, Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm. The phone number the Wellness Center can be reached at is 310-802-6170.
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