Health center’s patient load soars

<p>It’s bursting at the seams, struggling to accommodate a rapidly increasing patient load at a time when many other health-care providers are struggling to meet census targets.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p>And during the most recent Petaluma Health Care District board meeting, Dr. Martin Serota, a consultant hired by the district to identify the best medical model or models to implement, said that this facility, the Petaluma Health Center, plays a large role in the community and can provide a “bridge for future planning” by collaborating with other local health-care providers.</p><p>Daymon Doss, executive director of the PHCD, agrees that the health center can play a more pivotal role and says that on a national level, community health centers have been attracting more patients.</p><p>“The health center model came out of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, and was built upon serving more low-income people. But many people are coming to the Petaluma Health Center because of the quality of care that is offered and because the medical model that is used also provides access to dental and mental-health care,” he said.</p><p>“Part of our growth is due to the large numbers of people who have lost their insurance because of the economy, and because some local physicians have left or are nearing retirement, and are reducing the number of hours they work,” added Kathie Powell, the PHC’s executive director. “Also, many companies have increased their annual deductibles, and some employees can’t afford to go to outside physicians. </p><p>“We work with them to make health care affordable.”</p><p>Some 110,000 people live within the boundaries of the Petaluma Health Care District, and around 60,000 have Kaiser health plans, Doss said. So, approximately 50,000 people either are uninsured or have other health plans. The health center serves around 13,900 of them, and the number of people being turned away due to staffing limitations has increased from around 100 to 250 just in the last three months.</p><p>The PHC has nine physicians and 16 other health-care practitioners. Although many health-care providers have difficulty recruiting doctors to the area due to the relatively high costs of housing and living, among other things, the health center expects to have no trouble adding two more physicians and a physician’s assistant by October.</p><p>“We have a very good mission and vision, and very good leadership,” Powell said. “Many young physicians are looking to join an organization in which they understand what their mission is, and feel that they are really helping people.</p><p>“We’re on the cutting edge, and use a Medical Home Model in which we coordinate health services for patients. We have a holistic approach, and put the patient at the center of the care we provide.”</p><p>“The health center aligns with doctors just coming out of medical school who are interested in family practice,” Doss added. “Young doctors often prefer a medical model (such as PHC’s) that provides a guaranteed base salary, regular work flow and benefits.”</p><p>Some of the physicians come from the residency program that the University of California, San Francisco offers through Sutter Community Hospital in Santa Rosa. The program is supported by Kaiser, St. Joseph Health System and Sutter, and produces eight to 12 new family physicians per year, Doss said.</p><p>(Contact Dan Johnson at dan.johnson@arguscourier.com)</p>