Guerneville’s Russian River Health Center damaged by fire, but open for business Guerneville’s Russian River Health Center damaged by fire, but open for business

Guerneville’s Russian River Health Center lost its building to fire early Saturday but officials Monday said services and appointments remained available at other locations.

The Third Street clinic in downtown Guerneville was severely damaged by the blaze and health center officials said they’ll either have to tear down and rebuild or salvage what they can of the building and rebuild.

Either way the plan is to maintain the same location, said Mary Szecsey, executive director of the West County Health Centers.

In the meantime, medical staff currently are seeing patients at the Gravenstein Community Health Center in Sebastopol. Other options in use are a mobile medical van on loan from St. Joseph’s Health Center, which is being parked at the Third Street site, and some medical patients are being seen in the clinic’s dental facility, also on Third Street.

Officials Monday wanted assure patients that the center’s services remain intact, including appointments, prescription refills and lab work.

A shuttle service also is being set up to help patients get from Guerneville to the Gravenstein Community Health Center at 652 Petaluma Ave., Suite H, in Sebastopol.

Saturday’s fire at the center now is one of five structure fires in the Guerneville area in the last 10 days. Russian River fire officials said the cause of the health center fire is suspicious and they still are attempting to determine the cause.

Szecsey said an evaluation Sunday showed that little of the center’s medical equipment or computers could be saved. The initial loss estimate was $500,000 but a more detailed estimate for the structure and the lost contents still was being tallied.

The Guerneville clinic is part of the West County Health Centers private, nonprofit agency, which serves about 15,000 people throughout the west county, according to the agency.

“I think people are really sad and upset. But mostly we’ve been getting a lot of support from people,” Szecsey said.

Community members have been offering care to the caregivers, from offers of help cleaning up to food donations.

“It’s really wonderful. It’s another example of how this community comes together and helps each other out,” she said.

For appointments or more information, call the Russian River Health Center at 707-869-2849. Another option for information is the website at the West County Health Centers website www.wchealth.org or going online to http://www.wchealth.org/news/Russian-River-Health-Center-Fire-Recovery.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com or Twitter@rossmannreport.

Guerneville’s Russian River Health Center lost its building to fire early Saturday but officials Monday said services and appointments remained available at other locations.

The Third Street clinic in downtown Guerneville was severely damaged by the blaze and health center officials said they’ll either have to tear down and rebuild or salvage what they can of the building and rebuild.

Either way the plan is to maintain the same location, said Mary Szecsey, executive director of the West County Health Centers.

In the meantime, medical staff currently are seeing patients at the Gravenstein Community Health Center in Sebastopol. Other options in use are a mobile medical van on loan from St. Joseph’s Health Center, which is being parked at the Third Street site, and some medical patients are being seen in the clinic’s dental facility, also on Third Street.

Officials Monday wanted assure patients that the center’s services remain intact, including appointments, prescription refills and lab work.

A shuttle service also is being set up to help patients get from Guerneville to the Gravenstein Community Health Center at 652 Petaluma Ave., Suite H, in Sebastopol.

Saturday’s fire at the center now is one of five structure fires in the Guerneville area in the last 10 days. Russian River fire officials said the cause of the health center fire is suspicious and they still are attempting to determine the cause.

Szecsey said an evaluation Sunday showed that little of the center’s medical equipment or computers could be saved. The initial loss estimate was $500,000 but a more detailed estimate for the structure and the lost contents still was being tallied.

The Guerneville clinic is part of the West County Health Centers private, nonprofit agency, which serves about 15,000 people throughout the west county, according to the agency.

“I think people are really sad and upset. But mostly we’ve been getting a lot of support from people,” Szecsey said.

Community members have been offering care to the caregivers, from offers of help cleaning up to food donations.

“It’s really wonderful. It’s another example of how this community comes together and helps each other out,” she said.

For appointments or more information, call the Russian River Health Center at 707-869-2849. Another option for information is the website at the West County Health Centers website www.wchealth.org or going online to http://www.wchealth.org/news/Russian-River-Health-Center-Fire-Recovery.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com or Twitter@rossmannreport.