As a community health center, Siskiyou provides personalized, patient-centered care to help manage your individual and family wellness needs through all stages of life. Our goal is to provide a medical home that focuses on high quality primary and preventive care for the whole family and to ensure that all Patients, including those who are medically underserved, have continuous access to high quality community-based health care services including a primary care home.
In 1973, Siskiyou Community Health Center (SCHC) began as the Takilma Peoples Clinic in the Illinois Valley. After a medical crisis in the community, volunteer residents of the Illinois Valley turned an old farmhouse into a community health center. Dr. Jim Shames came from Multnomah County Health Department to train local volunteers. His plan was to only stay for a few months, but he ended up moving to the valley and served as SCHC’s Medical Director until 2003
In 1987, the Longwood Fire forced them to evacuate and move to a new building in Cave Junction. They began expanding and a few years later the Takilma Peoples Clinic became known as Siskiyou Community Health Center. In the 1990’s, the clinic became a Federally Qualified Health u2028 Center (FQHC), offering services to anyone, regardless of their financial condition
In 1997, SCHC merged with Our Valley Clinic and Gateway Dental Clinic in Grants Pass building up these services to FQHC level. Then, in 2001, community volunteers and the board of directors embarked on a building program at the north end of Cave Junction to replace its outgrown medical facility. In early 2007, this new 10,000 square foot medical facility opened its doors to patients. It included a state-of-the-art lab and radiology facility operated by Asante Health System. In 2014, this facility doubled in size, expanding the medical clinic and behavioral health department, bringing the Outreach department onsite, and adding a pharmacy and dental clinic
In 2010, SCHC added a pharmacy and a laboratory inside the Grants Pass medical clinic. However, the demand for their services increased and it was time to expand again in order to accommodate the growing needs of the community. In January of 2012, SCHC moved to the first LEED-certified green building in Grants Pass. Located at 1701 NW Hawthorne Avenue, SCHC offers primary medical care for the entire family, a pharmacy, behavioral health services, laboratory services, Outreach services, and a Walk-In Clinic. To increase the service area for families in need, an Outreach location was established in Medford in November of 2015. In the spring of 2016, SCHC moved their Grants Pass dental clinic on-site with their primary care facility and added radiology services
Siskiyou Community Health Center is committed to the health and well-being of the community and will continue to care for our patients during the COVID-19 outbreak. It is our intention to avoid sending patients to the Emergency Room whenever possible so they can care for the most critical patients. In order to maintain the highest level of safety for our patients, staff, and health care providers, weve made some changes in protocol and have implemented the use of telemedicine visits when appropriate. For all patients seen in the office be assured we have a rigorous cleaning process of the entire clinic to prevent the spread of infection.
We have moved quickly to implement the use of telemedicine. Patients will receive the same quality medical care they come to expect from the comfort of their home through a live video chat on their tablet, smartphone or computer.
After July 17, 2020, Siskiyou Community Health Center will no longer serve as the Josephine County COVID-19 testing site. Limited COVID-19 testing is available to SCHC patients only. Tests cannot be given without a lab order from a medical professional.