INSIDE

Health Matters

By Virginia Lester,
RN, MSN, ARNP

I am going to take this opportunity to discuss your Point Roberts Clinic, past and future.

It was four years ago when the Pioneers had a vision. With the support of Whatcom County Fire District No. 5 and Interfaith Community Health Center (ICHC), they wrote and submitted a grant.

Community leaders conducted a campaign to encourage residents to donate money for capital improvements in order to house the clinic. Many obstacles were encountered along the path to success, but no one involved would give up.

The building was completed; the application for the grant was accepted; and the clinic was open for business on June 6, 2003.

All three of the aforementioned supporting groups were represented on a newly formed board of directors. It is safe to say that the clinic would not have been viable without the help of the Federal Health Resources Administration grant.

The funds provided by the grant provided additional capital to furnish and maintain the clinic for four years. This was one year beyond the actual funding of the grant.

During this time the clinic has opened over 800 patient charts with more than 4,500 patient visits and 7,500 patient services.

The present state of affairs is the transition to the recently created Point Roberts Public Hospital District. This district was created, the election of a board of three commissioners, and the ability to levy a tax was done by a vote of the people of Point Roberts in an election held in February, 2005. Since that time, the commissioners have been working on all the financial and legal aspects to make a smooth transition to become owners and operators of the clinic. This transition from being operated under the auspices of a federal grant with the clinic board and the fire district to the public hospital district will become effective May 1 of this year.

The future for the Point Roberts Clinic appears healthy. The public hospital district has contracted with Interfaith to operate the daily activities of the clinic and service will remain the same.

The hours of operation will be changing as of June 1, in order to more readily accommodate the needs of the community.

The proposed and tentative hours of operation will be: Monday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

After hours and non clinic day emergencies will still be addressed as necessary. I will be available by phone 24 hours per day, seven days per week as always to answer questions and help resolve problems. \

Relief help will be provided by the staff at Interfaith whenever I take a holiday or become ill. Laboratory service and pharmacy assistance will continue as they have in the past.

If you have never used the clinic services and are curious about what is offered, please feel free to visit at your pleasure.

We will be happy to take your blood pressure or you may use our very accurate scales, infants also.