HISTORY

In 1973, Siskiyou Community Health Center (SCHC) began as the Takilma People’s Clinic in the Illinois Valley. After a medical crisis in the community, volunteer residents 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 People’s Clinic became known as Siskiyou Community Health Center. In the 1990’s, the clinic became a Federally Qualified Health
 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 clinic opened its doors to patients. It included a state-of-the-art lab and radiology facility, at that time operated by Asante Health System. In 2014, this facility doubled in size, expanding the medical clinic and behavioral health department, bringing the Healthy Families/Project Baby Check 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 (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) green building in Grants Pass. Located at 1701 NW Hawthorne Avenue, Siskiyou offers primary medical care for the entire family, a pharmacy, behavioral health services, laboratory services, and a Walk-In Clinic. A Healthy Families/Project Baby Check office is housed at 1201 NE 7th St., Suite A. To increase the service area for families in need, a Healthy Families location was established in Medford in November of 2015. In the sprint of 2016, Siskiyou moved their Grants Pass dental clinic on-site with their primary care facility and added radiology services.

SCHC has three School-Based Health Centers in Cave Junction and two located in Grants Pass that provide adolescents with primary health care and health education.

Siskiyou Community Health Center continues to follow its mission to build healthy communities by providing an affordable solution for quality health care.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS