RIVER REFLECTIONS: A Town Worth Rebuilding

By: McKenzie River Reflections Staff Oct 31, 2024 

BLUE RIVER: “We had to learn to trust that our lives in this community are worth rebuilding.” Those words from McKenzie Valley Wellness president Val Rapp helped explain that the area’s rebuilding efforts involve more than just putting up new walls. “There was not a single one of us here who could do this by ourselves,” she said. “But working together, we began to figure out who could be our allies and support and help us and others in the community.”

Rapp spoke at Saturday’s dedication of the new McKenzie River Clinic during a gathering that highlighted the community’s resilience and the return of a vital resource for residents. Like the newly rebuilt fire station and the soon-to-be-reopened O’Brien Memorial Library, the clinic isn’t merely a replacement.

The new clinic is embracing a holistic approach, melding social, economic, and environmental factors by continuing the medical, dental, and behavioral health services that were added. At the same time, Orchid Health operated out of a temporary office in Rainbow.