School Health Resources

The Bessler Center at Mary Bridge Children’s was founded in 2023 to advance health access and outcomes that achieve its vision that children in our community will be the healthiest in the nation. Supporting and expanding places where children can access healthcare within the community is among the 3 core strategies of the Bessler Center.

Learn More About the Bessler Center

Children learn best when they are healthy. School nurses provide support to children, parents and educational teams, bridging health, education, and community services. The Bessler Center at Mary Bridge Children’s is committed to the health of students. We applaud the work of school nurses and others involved in supporting the health of children and youth at school. We have prepared these resources for school nurses as well as staff, parents, caregivers and students. They are monitored and vetted by Mary Bridge health care specialists and are updated regularly. The goals of these resources include:

• Safety. Keeping students safe at school means advocating for their needs, supporting those who care for them with accessible resources and treatment plans, and creating reliable routes of triage for specialty needs and crises.
• Quality. We believe that care must meet quality standards. We work with schools to assure access to evidence based, current information.
• Continuity. Care that is coordinated helps assure safety and quality. It minimizes the chance of errors in communication and creates an integrated team and home approach for both acute and more long-term care needs.
• Equity. We believe that every child deserves quality care access. School health programs and supports enhance care access where children live, learn and play. By providing school nurses with essential health care resources, we seek to assure that any child treated at school will have access to care close to home, when they need it.

When kids are sick or struggling and parents are working, it can be challenging to access care. School-based health centers bring resource right onto campus where health services are at school or close to home, easily accessed, and minimize absenteeism. Tacoma is fortunate to have 2 school-based clinics in the 2024-2025 school year which will now combine to offer 5 day a week coverage. These clinics offer a range of services including school ready vaccines, sports physicals, and orders for students with life threatening health conditions (epi-pens, inhalers, etc.). Our current SBHCs include:

Bethel School Clinic

Bethel Middle School
22001 38^th Avenue East
Spanaway, WA 98387

Open Monday and Wednesday from 8am to 5pm when school is in session

Learn More About the Bethel School Clinic

Lincoln Clinic

Lincoln High School
701 S 37^th St.
Tacoma, WA 98418

Open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7am to 4pm when school is in session

Call 253-240-2160 or 253-593-2144 for information.

Mt. Tahoma Clinic

Mount Tahoma High School
4634 74^th Street
Tacoma 98409

Open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 7:30am to 2:30pm when school is in session

Call the MultiCare Access Center at (253) 459-6222 (available weekdays from 8am to 5pm)

Learn More about the Washington School Based Health Centers

Do you know a student interested in pursuing a healthcare career?  Each July MultiCare hosts the MultiCare Academy for Students In Healthcare (MASH) Camp. This 5-day program offers incredible hands-on experience through medical rotations in both clinical and non-clinical settings. It provides incredible opportunity to extend workforce diversity and is offered free to all participants with specific attention paid to removing barriers to attendance.

Learn More About M.A.S.H. Camp

• ACS Commends Passage of STOP THE BLEED Bill in State of Washington
• School Nurse Organization of Washington (SNOW)
• Washington School Based Health Centers