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CAMANO ISLAND RURAL HEALTH CLINIC

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
( how it came into being through the help of the community)

Affiliated Health Services' mission is to be a regional health care delivery system providing a continuum of quality patient care and health services to facilitate a healthier quality of life for our patients and our communities. Residents of Camano Island, a region within the AHS service area, have been designated by the Washington State Department of Health as one of the medically underserved populations in our state. In keeping with our mission, AHS is collaborating with Island County to open a rural health clinic on Camano Island to provide much-needed primary health care for residents of that region.

Contrary to common belief, the majority of islanders are of modest means and in fact, nearly one-quarter of the children living on Camano qualify to receive free or reduced-price school lunches because their household incomes fall below federal poverty standards. A 1994 survey completed by United Way of Island County indicated that the county's most pressing need was health and dental services for low-income clients. Residents on Camano Island have limited access to health care services with the nearest primary care physicians being located in Stanwood and the closest hospital facilities in Mt. Vernon, Arlington and Everett.

The primary care clinic is situated in the new Camano Community Healthcare Center which will be opening in the summer of 1999. Construction of the Center was funded by a community block grant, and AHS is sharing the building with Island County Public Health, Skagit Mental Health, and Recovery Northwest. Future plans include adding space for a low-income dental clinic. For easy access, the new facility is located on the main highway near the commercial hub on the island.

All participants in the ongoing debate on health care reform agree that primary care with an emphasis on prevention will produce healthier people and will lower health care delivery costs. The government therefore offers monetary incentives to operate primary care clinics in medically underserved rural regions to ensure that services are developed where they are most needed. The new AHS-operated Camano Island Rural Health Clinic will be staffed by a mid-level practitioner, Jeff Davis, PAC, supported by a consulting and supervisory physician. (Use of mid-level providers has proved to be so productive and cost-effective that government certification for Rural Health Clinics mandates their use). Operation of the clinic will be supported by patient revenues from Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance. Patients without insurance or without sufficient insurance will pay according to a sliding scale based on income.

Although the clinic is anticipated to be self-sufficient once it is in operation, start-up funds in the amount of $50,500 have been collected to prepare the clinic for occupancy, provide equipment and furnishings, and support staff costs during essential training periods prior to the opening. All those having a stake in the health and well-being of Camano Island residents can help ensure the strength and success of the Rural Health Clinic by donating tax-deductible gifts. Continued community support and involvement in the new clinic will enable all Camano Islanders to get the health care they need and deserve at their 'own' on-island clinic.

Grand Opening....          

summary written 10/13/97