The Grand Opening of Cougar Community Health Center in Pavillion brought out the entire community. It’s exciting for this very rural area to have health services so readily available.
Dr. Kristen Benson, Executive Director of Fremont County BOCES and a District #6 School Board Member discussed the process and impact.
“Fremont County BOCES has been working in conjunction with Wind River School district on this project since 2013. The need for high-quality healthcare is desperately needed. Fremont County School District encompasses 1300 square miles where in that 1300 square miles there is not a licensed medical facility. That is a huge concern for everyone. Back in 2014 BOCES sold a 1970’s trailer to Wind River for $1. That is when the excitement began. We had students at Wind river in the Green Construction Program start the transformation. What an amazing feeling it is for those students now, to walk past the clinic and say, I built that.
Wind River’s ceremony was a tangible reminder of Wind River’s mission…
To ensure high levels of learning for all students in a safe and positive environment. With that said, the bottom line is we need kids in school and we need healthy kids in school.
This major milestone could have only been achieved through incredible teamwork. As a school board member and the Executive Director of Fremont County BOCES, I am honored to have worked alongside some of the best in the pool. It is important to publicly acknowledge the dedication and commitment of Wind River’s faculty, staff, and students, in particular to the superintendent, Diana Clapp who never lost the vision in her extraordinary efforts in these past years.
To sum it all up, our goal no matter what hat you wear is educating students in a safe environment. And the Cougar Healthcare Clinic will be the bridge that makes that happens. The collective contributions by the community, faculty, student, and staff can only bring a smile to your face.”
The School District played a huge part in making this project successful as well as the Community Health Centers of Central Wyoming.
It really is going to be a great thing for our little community. We have a wide variety of income demographics in Pavillion and this is a wonderful way to reach some of those on a fixed income or those with limited mobility have easier access to quality healthcare. It will also be great for the families in town and surrounding farms and ranches to get their kids in earlier before they come to school sick and pass it around. It’s definitely a win-win. – Pavillion Mayor, Marissa Selvig
It was also a celebration of Early Childhood Programs at Wind River Schools: Wind River Preschool Program, Crowheart Preschool Program, Purple Bus – Mobile Preschool, & Child Care Center.
The district mobile preschool program is the recipient of the National School Board Association’s Magna Award. This is the first, and only time to date, the Magna Award has gone to a program in Wyoming. The mobile preschool carries the highest enrollment of the early childhood programs offered in FCSD6, serving over 70 children ages birth to five.
The public was invited to tour all of the facilities. They also had games and refreshments.
