FY22 UPDATE AND IMPACT REPORT HEDCO CLINIC
INCREASED CLINICAL CAPACITY THROUGH MORE EFFICIENT PROCESSES
OPENED THE MARJORIE MITCHELL AUDIOLOGY LAB
EXPANDED ON-SITE CLIENT PARKING
The HEDCO Clinic implemented “Language Line,” an on-demand phone interpreter service with access to more than 240 languages. This fall, we will launch our Sibling Support services, which will allow caregivers to access individual or family treatment while their child(ren) are cared for in an adjacent facility. These services will also allow Family and Human Services students the opportunity to work with preschool and school age children to learn about child development and practice universal interventions to support emotional awareness and health.
ENHANCED SAFETY MEASURES
The clinic’s new assistant manager is improving and managing the website and social media accounts. Our new website will launch this fall. The HEDCO Clinic plans to use the website and social media accounts to distribute stories and highlight individuals and services within the clinic to directly promote the HEDCO Clinic’s mission.
UPDATES FROM FY22
The use of technological infrastructure such as electronic health records and the streamlining of workflows from phone intake to initiation of care has increased the number of clinical hours and clients served while maintaining the same number of practitioners.
The audiology lab is managed by OHSU and staffed by an audiologist specializing in pediatric care to provide families in Eugene, Springfield, and southern Oregon greater access to hearing assessments and recommendations for care from an audiologist. In addition, undergraduates within the Communication Disorders and Sciences program receive direct instruction and coursework from clinical faculty and the opportunity for hands-on training within the service.
The clinic is partnering with the Prevention Science Institute to share space for the Child and Family Center.
The clinic negotiated an overflow lot with UO Transportation to provide additional parking for families during our Speech-Language-Hearing Center Summer programming.
REDUCING BARRIERS TO ACCESSING CARE
EXPANDED FACILITIES AND RELATIONSHIPS ACROSS CAMPUS
INCREASED AWARENESS OF THE SERVICES OFFERED AT THE HEDCO CLINIC
The clinic created a new safety protocol for student clinicians to notify supervisors or staff when they need support in a client session. This protocol is used across clinical services. Additional external cameras were installed to ensure a safer perimeter around the building.
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EXPAND ASSESSMENT CLINIC FOCUS TO INCLUDE AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS
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GOALS FOR THE FUTURE
Session Hours
121
NEW STAFF HIRED
861 Unique Clients 11,297 Appointments 12,119
TALIA KEENE
Talia Keene was born in Portland, Oregon and moved to Eugene in 2016 to attend the University of Oregon. She studied communications while she was a student and was a leader in ASUO. She takes pride in helping advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. After leaving UO, she went on to become the site coordinator for a houseless shelter. She joined the HEDCO Clinic in April 2022 to assist with daily operations and electronic communications and is excited to work with the wonderful professionals in the clinic.
Students Trained
DEVELOP A NEWLY RESTRUCTURED AND EXPANDED ACADEMIC TUTORING SERVICE
Long-term, HEDCO Clinic leadership hopes to develop a newly restructured and expanded academic tutoring service for the community that capitalizes on the expertise of COE faculty. The need for quality academic tutoring in the Eugene-Springfield area is great and has been exacerbated by remote schooling during the pandemic. This initiative will require identifying relevant faculty or community collaborators with expertise in this domain. Our focus will be on building personnel capacity and potentially grant, foundation or donor funding to support a service of this magnitude.
Jody Ferguson has committed her time and passion to healthcare since 2010. Her clinic experience includes extensive hands-on patient care working with those who are affected by adult and pediatric Epilepsy, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Traumatic Brain Injuries and strokes. She joined the clinic in the summer of 2021 and oversees the clinic’s operations, the coordination of student clinicians working within the clinic, and the group of student workers at the front desk.
Currently there is a significant delay in accessing evaluations for those with suspected diagnosis of autism that can delay access to treatment and academic supports. This expansion will fill the community gap and hopefully decrease the time it takes for families to access appropriate support and care for these individuals.
HEDCO CLINIC ASSISTANT MANAGER
JODY FERGUSON HEDCO CLINIC MANAGER
REMEDYING THE THERAPY SHORTAGE CHR SERVES THE COMMUNITIES FACING MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES
SUPPORTING STUDENTS’ MENTAL HEALTH CFC PARTNERS WITH BETHEL HEALTH CENTER
In a region where waitlists are the norm for individual and family counseling, the Center for Healthy Relationships is increasing free counseling services to those in need. With an alarming rate of self-harm among the adolescent population, Tiffany Brown, PhD, director of the CHR, notes that “the biggest challenge we have is how many people need services and only having a small number of therapists. We are working to serve our community in the most effective and efficient way possible.” Brown addressed the increased need, particularly for teens at risk for self-harm or suicide, by giving a presentation in partnership with the Eugene 4J School District. The presentation, which was also translated into Spanish, discussed the steps parents can take if a child is cutting or engaging in other self-harming behavior, what it means, and where to seek help.
Beth Stormshak, PhD, Director of the Child and Family Center (CFC), established a mutually beneficial and collaborative relationship with the Bethel Health Center (BHC). The BHC is a community-based organization working to meet the physical and behavioral health needs of families in the Bethel community. The need for mental health services in the community is significant and grew to unprecedented levels during the pandemic. The CFC works to support the BHC by providing doctoral level clinicians in training at the CFC to offer families at the BHC high-quality, culturally and linguistically responsive, evidence-based behavioral health services at no cost. These students have also benefited greatly from the partnership and have had the opportunity to work with families diverse in ethnicity, culture, race, socioeconomics, and language. These experiences have been invaluable to their training. Brooke Cottle, Director of the BHC, said the partnership “provided critical support to our students during a challenging time.”
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INCREASING DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES CDAC INTEGRATES DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES FOR AUTISM, ADHD, AND LEARNING DISABILITIES
The Comprehensive Diagnostic Assessment Center has increased the number of clients served in the community for the fourth year in a row. Starting in 2022, the center will continue its expansion, offering autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis for clients who are already receiving services for an Attention Deficient and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or learning disability diagnosis. Furthering the center’s outreach, CDAC director Karrie Walters, PhD, provided numerous trainings for practicing clinicians focused on supporting transgender and non-binary youth and their families. Walters also developed syllabi for two new courses focused on teaching mental and behavioral health support practices for LGBTQ youth that will be taught at the Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health.
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ABAC FOCUSED ON FILLING AN URGENT NEED FOR TRAINED PROFESSIONALS
The Applied Behavioral Analysis Center paused clinical services to pursue the development of a new 1-year, online Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis. COE faculty Wendy Machalicek, PhD, and Lillian Durán, PhD, gained funding for the program, which admitted the first cohort of 10 students for this fall. During the 2022-2023 academic year the ABA has plans to reinstate clinical services for autistic children and youth and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities with a focus on the assessment and treatment of serious challenging behavior. Broadening the focus to intellectual and developmental disability will enhance clinical training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. The center will utilize an adjunctive telehealth model with a single assessment visit to the HEDCO Clinic and follow up visits via telehealth.
NEW MASTER’S PROGRAM BROADENS SERVICES FOR AUTISTIC YOUTH
The Speech Learning-Hearing Center continues to be the go-to center in the community for services that are difficult to find elsewhere, such as augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) evaluation and treatment, gender-affirming voice training, and fluency and stuttering services. The Oregon Scottish Rite now covers 100% of pediatric client costs, while adult clients receive treatment based on a sliding scale, with no costs for those with Medicare. Jen Meyer, MS, Director of the SLHC, remarked that in the past year “transitioning from tele-practice back to in-person sessions has been challenging. The center has worked hard to keep vulnerable clients safe and healthy this year, resulting in an opportunity for College of Education students to once again gain in person experience with clients of all ages.”
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KEEPING VULNERABLE CLIENTS SAFE AND HEALTHY SLHC PROVIDES MUCH-NEEDED SERVICES IN THE COMMUNITY
The University of Oregon is located on Kalapuya Ilihi, the traditional indigenous homeland of the Kalapuya people, many of whom are now citizens of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians.
Kristihedcoclinic.uoregon.eduSchneider Director of Eugene,1215HEDCO(541)kristim@uoregon.eduDevelopment346-1283EducationBuildingUniversityofOregonOR97403-1215
The University of Oregon is an equal-opportunity, affirmative-action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This publication will be made available in accessible formats upon request. Accommodations for people with disabilities will be provided if requested in advance.