KEZI: Blue River cuts ribbon on new health clinic after old one burned down in 2020

By: Albert James Oct 25, 2024 Updated Oct 25, 2024

BLUE RIVER, Ore. — Four years after it burned down in the Holiday Farm Fire, the community celebrated the opening of a rebuilt medical clinic Friday afternoon and looked ahead to all the services the facility will provide beyond check-ups.

With the snip of a giant pair of scissors, the new Orchid Health McKenzie River Clinic was opened to the public. Groundbreaking for the new building only took place a year ago.

“It’s a central institution in the community, just like the school or the fire station or the library,” said Val Rapp, President of McKenzie Valley Wellness.

Since 2020, the non-profit has partnered with Orchid Health to operate the clinic, which Rapp said is the only clinic between Springfield and Sisters.

The original clinic from 1977 was wiped out in the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire, forcing the staff to work at a temporary clinic up Highway 126 in Rainbow.

Rapp said the new facility, back in its original spot, serves as a symbol of the community’s resilience.

“It begins to provide some reasons for families to live here, for seniors on limited incomes live here,” she said. “It helps to build the vitality of a community that is rebuilding.”