KIDS Center invites the community to attend a fall open house event, Step Inside, on Thursday, September 17 and tour the nonprofit’s new mobile clinic and brick-and-mortar facility at 1375 NW Kingston Ave in Bend.
At 4:30 pm, Bend Chamber will host a ribbon cutting ceremony for the mobile clinic. Tours of the clinic and KIDS Center’s facility will start at 5pm, with new tours starting every 15 minutes and running until 7 pm. Snacks and beverages will be provided. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP to Julie Wilson at jwilson@kidscenter.org by September 14.
KIDS Center is a Children’s Advocacy Center serving six counties in Central Oregon. Founded in 1994, the nonprofit provides no-cost child abuse evaluations, advocacy and therapy to children and families impacted by abuse. KIDS Center also runs a robust prevention program, with free trainings for adults in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties.
More than 500 families are referred to KIDS Center each year for child abuse evaluation services. Tours of KIDS trace a child’s journey as they participate in a child abuse evaluation and then return for therapy. “A tour is one of the best ways to understand how children and families find hope and healing at KIDS Center,” says Ginger Theis-Stevens, director of marketing and development.
Across Central Oregon, the need for child abuse evaluation services has steadily increased, particularly in rural areas. This trend prompted KIDS Center to acquire a 33’ Winnebago to reach children and families across its 20,000 sq mi service area. “The mobile clinic is a strategic investment to serve our region’s most vulnerable children,” says Executive Director Gil Levy.
The process of researching, funding, and building the mobile clinic took close to two years. The Winnebago was custom-designed with the help of ADI Mobile Health in Portland. The mobile clinic is outfitted with a family waiting room, spaces for forensic interviews and medical exams, and a separate area for staff and community partners. “The clinic is modeled after our brick-and-mortar facility in Bend and is fully equipped to provide comprehensive child abuse evaluations at no cost,” says Levy.
Several funders supported the purchase and construction of the clinic, including Dottie and Eli Ashley Fund, The Charis Fund, Central Oregon Health Council, Central Oregon Health Quality Alliance, Crevier Family Foundation, Ford Family Foundation, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, Craig W. and Linda J. Moore Family Fund, Roundhouse Foundation, Ronald W. Naito Foundation, and St. Charles Health System.
