Health clinic opens in vacant wing of Kitsap's juvenile detention center

An empty wing at the Kitsap Juvenile Detention Center has been converted into a walk-in public health clinic that county officials hope will provide care to those connected with the criminal justice system.

While the new Clifton Clinic is open to the public, it has a particular focus on caring for the justice system-affiliated population, said Jennifer Kreidler-Moss, CEO of Peninsula Community Health Services. That includes those who are formerly incarcerated or involved in one of the county’s therapeutic diversion courts, such as its drug and veteran courts programs.

PCHS opened the new two-exam room clinic at 1338 SW Old Clifton Road after striking a lease agreement with the county last month.

The detention facility holds inmates under 18 years old who have been charged with a misdemeanor or felony. The number of youths requiring detention declined in recent years and the county cited a desire to repurpose an empty wing for a rehabilitation purpose.

“This wing has been largely empty and unused for some time,” Kreidler-Moss said Tuesday. “We were fortunate to turn it around quickly.”

PCHS expects to transport people recently released from jail to the clinic to aid them with transition back into the community.

“Our partnership with Clifton Clinic allows us to address the physical and mental health needs of our residents, laying the foundation for successful reintegration into society,” Michael Merringer, director of Kitsap County Juvenile Services, said in a statement.

The clinic will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. It will offer primary medical care and behavioral health services, including mental health counseling and substance abuse treatment. It will also offer physicals and care for chronic conditions.

Kreidler-Moss said the clinic will be a more accepting environment than a traditional fast-paced health clinic, with no appointment times or rigid schedules.

Unlike a traditional clinic, the facility will also provide case management, connecting people with housing, transportation, employment, insurance and other social service needs. It will also transport patients to the PCHS clinic on South Kitsap Boulevard, about a mile away, to make it easy for them to access dental and pharmaceutical care.

The clinic is one of several PCHS co-location facilities that concentrate health care and social services under one roof. A similar clinic is located at the Salvation Army building on Sixth Street in Bremerton, Kreidler-Moss said. PCHS has found when people are familiar with a facility and its staff they are more likely to be comfortable and seek treatment

"We think this clinic adds a stable location for people affiliated with the justice system to have a home base," Kreidler-Moss said.

Conor Wilson is a Murrow News fellow, reporting for the Kitsap Sun and Gig Harbor Now, a nonprofit newsroom based in Gig Harbor, through a program managed by Washington State University.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Kitsap juvenile detention center now used by Peninsula Community Health