Regence Partners with Multnomah Education Service District to Bring Free Health Services to more than 20,000 Studen...( Company's $20000 grant helps provide...),Health

Company's $20,000 grant helps provide screenings and referral services for at-risk and low-income students to prevent critical health conditions and

improve academic performance

PORTLAND, Ore, Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Approximately 117,000 of Oregon's children are uninsured, leaving them without access to basic services such as immunizations, which prevent critical illness and help them stay in school. At-risk and low-income children in Multnomah County's public schools will soon have access to some of these basic health screenings and services, thanks in part to a $20,000 grant from Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon.

Regence's grant will allow health screening teams from the Multnomah Education Service District (MESD) to provide dental, scoliosis and vision screenings for more than 20,000 students. In addition, teams will also be able to provide immunization screenings in at least 90 high-need Multnomah County public schools to identify students in need of referral services. They can then be referred to a program such as the Oregon Health Plan or free clinics that work with MESD to provide services to Multnomah County families.

The immunization screenings are particularly important, as students who do not have the proper immunizations by a mandated cutoff date in February are excluded from school as a result. Students who need immunizations are then able to receive them from the Multnomah County Health Department, which has partnered with MESD to provide these services. The MESD is targeting schools with particularly high exclusion rates in an effort to reach high-risk children and families in time to provide students with immunizations and stay in school.

"Regence's gift reflects our commitment to helping people in our community live healthy, productive and successful lives. We are pleased to support the MESD in their efforts to provide young people in our community with the services they need to get a
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