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From small acts come great things...

By Meg Olson

For almost ten years Ed Aydon collected cans to raise money to insure better health care for the community. On June 6 a medical clinic named in his honor will open at the Benson Road fire station.

“Many believed this would never happen,” said Pioneer group president Brian Canfield. “Well, it is.”

The Ed Aydon Wellness Clinic is a collaborative effort of the Point Roberts fire department, the Interfaith Community Health Center in Bellingham, and the Point Roberts Pioneer group. Canfield said the opening was more than the community’s first peek at their new health center. It was also an opportunity to thank dozens of volunteers for donating everything from legal work to fundraising help. “There has been a significant amount of work to make this happen,” he said.

The Pioneer group received a $200,000 federal grant, renewable for three years, after getting the Point designated a medically underserved area. The fire department was selected as the official agency to receive the grant funds and agreed to lease a portion of the fire station to the clinic. The health center was brought on board to manage the clinic operation, staff and billing, drawing from its existing operation in Bellingham. Two members from each of the three partners will make up the six-person board that provides oversight to the clinic.

While the grant will pay for the clinic’s start-up, it did not cover capital expenses needed to turn a slice of the bingo hall into a medical facility. “We’re going to put in over $70,000 in the interior to make sure it meets the codes and standards for a clinic,” Canfield said. With Aydon’s can drive as a foundation the Pioneer group has already raised over $50,000. Their largest donation was $5,000 from Whidbey Telephone Company and their smallest was $2.48 from an individual. “The ones that really impress me are local ones who don’t have a lot but said they wanted to help and gave,” Canfield said. Other businesses and local organizations that have made donations are the taxpayers association, the seniors group, the What’s The Point garden tour, Nielson’s Building Center, Sterling Savings Bank, Point Roberts golf course, Island Signs, and the International Marketplace. Two local families also asked that donations be made to the clinic to commemorate the death of a loved one. “I’ve got pages of contributors,” Canfield said.

The clinic will be staffed primarily by nurse practitioner Virginia Lester. More than a nurse, Lester can issue prescriptions, refer to specialists ­ most of the services one would get from a family doctor. The clinic will also have a lab that can perform many routine diagnostic and monitoring procedures, and will be electronically linked with patients’ doctors and specialists in Bellingham. Through Interfaith some specialized care will occasionally come up to the Point. For example, Canfield said, a mobile dental lab will come up for the June 6 opening.

When the clinic is open Lester will focus initially on what the community wants from the clinic, from special services to hours of operation. “The intent is to provide services and volumes as needed,” Canfield said.

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