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Pioneer group lands a grant to open local clinic

By Meg Olson

After almost a decade of trying to bring a medical clinic to Point Roberts, the Pioneer group is close to their goal.

A $200,000 federal grant will allow the partnership between the group, the local fire department and the Interfaith Community Health Center in Bellingham to bring basic health care to local residents.

“No one should have to travel four hours to get basic medical care. This grant will allow the residents of Point Roberts to receive the care they need in their own community,” said U.S. Senator Patty Murray. With Congressman Rick Larsen, Murray rallied behind the group’s efforts to get the clinic open, especially as post-September 11 border delays could make a trip to Bellingham an all-day event. “Federal funds are precious and few these days,” Larsen said. “This grant is a lantern of hope for both the medical community and the entire Point Roberts community.”

Pioneer group representative Brian Canfield said the Wellness Clinic could be up and running as soon as this summer. The fire district would provide space on the ground floor of the Benson Road fire station for a reception room, examination room and small lab, and the Interfaith center would provide staff, equipment, supplies and billing. Initial plans are for a nurse practitioner to treat patients at the clinic two to three days a week.
‘The population isn’t large enough here to support a full-time practitioner – we had to find another model,” Canfield said. “Using the infrastructure that’s in place, with community support and the resources of Interfaith we can support this clinic.”

Glen Gelhar, director of the Interfaith center said the Point Roberts clinic was a perfect fir for the non-profit health center’s mission. “Our mission is to provide affordable, high quality healthcare for all,” he said.

One of the last health care providers in Whatcom County still accepting new Medicare patients, Interfaith runs a busy primary care medical and dental clinic in Bellingham and has a dental check-up van that now goes to locations throughout the county.

Gelhar said initial plans for the Point Roberts clinic were for one nurse practitioner working part-time. “They are registered nurses with advanced registration,” he said. “They have a wider prescribing authority and the ability to practice independently.”

The nurse practitioner would offer comprehensive primary medical services and refer patients to specialists if there was a need. As use of the clinic grows, Gelhar said, more hours could be added and specialists could make visits to the Point and then work with the nurse practitioner remotely.
“We’ll give support with other practitionners, like a cardiologist or an endocrinologist,” Gelhar said. An after-hours toll-free help line that connects patients to a nurse could also be added. ‘We’ll see what the demand is and adjust services as needed,” he said.

Interfaith would bill patients, their insurance company, Medicare or Medicaid. Patients with no insurance pay on a sliding scale based on income, and Gelhar said they have payment plans to make sure everyone can afford care.

“It’s not a free clinic but I can make payment arrangements,” he said. After paying for clinic costs, any left over funds would go back to the Wellness Clinic board, made up of representatives from the three partner groups, to be set aside for future growth.

The grant dollars will cover the expected operating deficit as the clinic starts up. “Initially we won’t have enough coming in and that’s where the grant comes in,” Canfield said. The grant is renewable for two more years if the clinic meets performance requirements.

While Gelhar said sattelite clinics were generally not successful, since economies of scale are lost, he felt the Point Roberts clinic would work if the community used it. “I’m hoping the people of Point Roberts make use of the clinic.” he said. “If no one shows it’s going to be hard to justify continuing this.” A meeting is organized for April 10, 7:30 p.m. at the community center for people to meet the tell the partners in the project what they want in a clinic and ask questions.

Both Murray and Larsen praised the members of the Pioneer group and the community for keeping the pressure on until the medical clinic was funded.
“I’m proud to represent a community that sees a need and takes action,” Larsen said. “Anyone who expects people in Point Roberts to sit back and wait for something to happen, hasn’t been to Point Roberts.”.

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