The South Lane Clinic in Cottage Grove is officially open. The federally-qualified community clinic offers primary care services to low-income residents.
There are 14 members on staff at the clinic, including a doctor, nurse practitioner, medical assistant, and integrated oral health team. The goal of the clinic is to bring readily available healthcare to residents of South Lane County.
“It is the first place that individuals go when they have something that is wrong with their health,” said Eve Gray, the Health and Human Services director of Lane County. She said the clinic will offer illness checkups, behavioral health services, and eventually, dental care.
Gray emphasized the significance a clinic like South Lane holds in rural communities.
“These are populations who have trouble identifying transportation and commuting to metro areas. And what that means is that individuals don’t have access to care if that care is not available in their community,” she said. “It is critical that we locate health services near where people live in order to give equal access to care.”
The clinic had a soft opening in October 2024, and has served approximately 3,000 patients since then. A public open house was held Thursday to formally celebrate the clinic’s arrival in town.
Clinic operations manager Jenny Dail said the gap between the soft opening and ribbon cutting gave them time to tie up loose ends.
“It allowed us the opportunity to complete construction,” Dail said. “Also trying to get our employees established, getting them trained, gaining the trust of the community.”
The clinic operates in partnership with Lane Community College, and will offer training for students going into medical fields. By working at the South Lane Clinic, LCC students can gain their required clinical hours.
“I think it’s absolutely transformative, because we’re talking about professions that are high wage, high demand,” said LCC president Stephanie Bulger. "Students know that when they participate in programs like this, they are actually going to find a job that they can use to take care of their families and lift up their community.”
The South Lane Clinic is located at 1275 S River Rd. in Cottage Grove.
