Prime Highlights:

There is a new youth-targeted health clinic now open within Quw’utsun Senior Secondary School in Cowichan to provide enhanced student access to health care.

The clinic offers services like immunizations, STI testing, health education, and free birth control, all of which run within the school.

Key Facts:

The clinic went into business on April 1, 2025, and is funded and run by Island Health.

It aims to improve healthy living, reduce barriers to health care, and encourage active management of health among students.

Key Background:

Having a health clinic based in the Quw’utsun Senior Secondary School is an Island Health plan to deliver services directly to youth. Having the clinic set up in the school environment obviates standard barriers to care and provides a setting where children can feel safe getting care accessibly and confidently. The school model supports early intervention and fosters regular monitoring of health, particularly during the teenage years.

It is operated by public health nurses in preventive and response care. Services move from immunization and STI testing to management and education in birth control. Students are also aided by information regarding sleep, diet, and lifestyle habits such as quitting smoking or vaping abstinence. Free birth control is offered by the clinic, again removing the fiscal barriers to the students who need reproductive health care.

This project was facilitated through pre-planning in the school development phase, enabling Island Health to create a space specific to the youth needs. The clinic has been given a culturally sensitive name, which reflects its function as a place in which students can thrive in health and wellness. It is more than a gesture of student health commitment, however. It is also a gesture of respect for Indigenous culture and collaboration with community.

In the future, Island Health will expand services by collaborating with other youth-serving agencies, including mental health and substance-use professionals. This model will enable the clinic to offer all facets of student wellness—physical, emotional, and social. The project is a new model that other schools can potentially emulate in an effort to better serve young populations within their communities.