New doctor outlines changes at clinic

The next weeks at Wahkiakum Family Practice Clinic will see much planning and change. As your new Doctor and Medical Director I’d like to set the tone for what you can expect, and ask for your help. Most importantly I plan to communicate and hope you will do the same. We all need the same information as we make these decisions, and are stronger as a whole community than as individuals. This is your opportunity to be heard!

We start our work with two known truths: First, Wahkiakum County and The City of Cathlamet want the clinic to remain in operation. Secondly, our county subsidy expires at the end of December 2008. Under our current financial function, the clinic will not have sufficient funds to continue operations independently thereafter.

We’ve accomplished the first steps toward revenue and access increase. Although difficult to relinquish, the transferring of hospital work has brought an additional three quarter provider into the office for no additional cost. I commend you for realizing that a small community needs to centralize service in order to provide service. Like rural town mail, we’ve accepted the limitations of post office delivery as a fact of life, and get our mail.

Another change has been the transfer of EMS Medical Program Directorship to a local resource and St. John’s Hospital. Cathlamet has every reason to be profoundly proud of their EMS system. With patience, my hope is that we can work toward the Level 5 Trauma Center we’d like to become once we’re on solid financial ground.

There is much more under way at the clinic. We are preparing to roll out operational efficiency changes that will bring improvement in patient access, patient flow, and quality of service. The clinic staff and community are invited to participate in these process changes, and will be vitally important every step of the way. We’ll be asking you what you think, and hope you’ll take the time to share your thoughts. We’re also going to invite you to come back to the clinic if you’ve left to pursue service elsewhere. Try us again!

There are many critical decisions yet to come, like future clinic ownership and administration. My personal belief is that we can win through patience, diligence, and communication. And through your support. You have a town Clinic! That’s a commendable resource that most of rural America would pay dearly to accomplish. If you want to keep it, this is the time to step up and work hard for it.

How can you help? Our next challenge is in revenue generation to continue operations beyond December 2008. We’re discussing a Keep the Clinic Open Foundation, and are crafting a clinic and community wide effort at funding support for the next one to two years. We’ll present these ideas within the next few weeks, and ask that you participate any way you can. Look for updates here in The Eagle, and watch for public forums planned for summer. Keep the Clinic Open!