Friends of Yakima Valley School, YVS
History of Yakima Valley School
During the depression and prior to World War II, tuberculosis was a major killer throughout America. Its remedy was rest, good nourishment, sunshine, and high desert clear air. Selah, Washington was the ideal treatment center for one of the many tuberculosis sanitariums that were built in the 30’s and 40’s. The Washington Tuberculosis Hospital in Selah was built during that time, and its citizens were justly proud of its large, gold brick structure which was built to house many victims of TB, offering residential treatment and the healing properties of eastern Cascades’ dry, clear air and climate.
However, medications had become more effective, and gradually the need for residential care for TB faded. Furthermore, the development of better medications and medical treatment brought another issue to the forefront: babies were being born and living who previously would not have survived. These were frail, premature babies or babies who suffered from diseases and injuries, many were so medically fragile that they were unable to thrive without trained and skilled interventions.
In 1958, the older facility was converted to a residential facility for individuals with profound developmental disabilities and was renamed Yakima Valley School (YVS). Over the years, health care and education programs developed that brought much greater expectations for the quality of life of the residents. In l973 YVS was accredited as an Intermediate Care Facility for individuals with Intellectual Disabilities, and programming was expanded to include education and pre-employment, vocational training program.
During the 70’s, under the leadership of YVS Superintendent Joe Fram, careful design, layout, and construction brought about the creation of 15 cottages; this allowed the big building to be used for classrooms, meeting rooms, sites for resident’s activities and administrative offices. The cottages are based on a home’s layout, because these residences are home to those living at YVS. Four to five duplex cottages are built on the YVS campus in four different neighborhood pods, landscaped in a park-like green, tree-rich campus. A large garage with a walk-way between the duplexes is built in a sunken garage concept so that transportation vans can enter and load wheelchairs and gurneys at the same level as the floors of the cottages.
Each cottage has a living room area and their own, form-fit wheel chair to aid in the comfort and mobility. In their living room area clients have their own recliner. Each client’s bedroom is decorated to suit his or her own interests and possessions; clients are afforded privacy and their own bed and cupboards.
YVS was designated a Nursing Facility in 1994. Currently, about 260 direct care and support staff provide 24 hour nursing care, a full spectrum of clinical and therapeutic programs, and recreation activities to about 108 individuals who reside in 15 separate homes on campus.
All residents receive a full array of services, including medical, nursing, dental, therapeutic dietary, psychiatric, and recreational programs (music, arts, concerts, picnics and a whole array of events).
Respite services have come to be a critical service of YVS, and the legislature in 2016 approved 8 beds to be allocated for respite support to the community. Respite services are provided to the community Respite services are provided to parents/guardians who care for a loved one in their home setting. Respite can take place when parents/guardians arrange in advance for a week or two-week stay for their very dependent person; this enables the parent/guardian a brief time for travel to weddings, meetings, etc. Additional accommodations are held as well for emergency admissions. For example, if a home caretaker suddenly becomes ill or incapacitated, YVS can temporarily take in that loved one while the emergency issue(s) of the home caretaker are resolved.
