Editorials

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   HAVE YOUR SAY Feel strongly about something? Share it with the community by writing a letter to the editor. You’ll need to include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) We reserve the right to edit letters, but if you keep yours to 250 words or less, we won’t ask you to shorten it. If your letter is published, please wait 30 days before submitting another. Send it to: E-mail: letters@heraldnet.com Mail: Letters section The Herald P.O. Box 930 Everett, WA 98206 Fax: 425-339-3458 Have a question about letters? Contact Carol MacPherson (cmacpherson@heraldnet.com or 425-339-3472).   Published: Wednesday, August 15, 2007 Local clinic steps in where nation is failing Considering the many fractures in this nation's health-care system, successful efforts to apply first aid to it deserve special attention. In Snohomish County, an ever-growing example is the Providence Everett Healthcare Clinic, which continues to break new ground as an innovative, compassionate and efficient provider of care to uninsured and other low-income patients. The nonprofit clinic, located in former retail space on Broadway just east of Everett Community College, opened in January 2004 after a local fund drive raised more than $1 million in private donations. Now, after another campaign that exceeded its goal by raising more than $600,000, the clinic plans to add another 1,200 square feet of space, which will allow it to expand medical treatment and mental health counseling. By next year, the clinic should be able to handle 12,000 medical appointments and 3,000 counseling appointments per year. Clearly, the community has recognized the clinic's value and made a commitment to support it. "I'm very proud of what we've done, and of the community for stepping up," said Dr. Tony Roon, the clinic's founder and director. Roon's original vision stemmed from a shortage of physicians in Snohomish County, where there are only about 1.1 doctors for every 1,000 residents, about half the rate of surrounding counties. Without enough physicians to provide volunteer care for the underserved, as happens elsewhere, patients were flocking to the Providence emergency department for primary care. That's the most expensive primary care and the least complete, Roon points out, because there's usually no follow-up. Now, the clinic offers families and individuals better and more cost-efficient care. Because of the local physician shortage, nurse practitioners work on the front lines at the clinic, making referrals to doctors when necessary. They're supported by University of Washington nursing students. The clinic has helped train 70 nurse practitioners, Roon said, with the help of three federal grants provided through the UW. The clinic also coordinates dental services. Local dentists volunteer their time and work out of a van that visits twice a month. The growing integration of medical and mental-health care makes the clinic's services even more efficient and effective. Medical and behavioral problems don't exist in isolation, Roon notes, so integrating their care gives the practitioner a more complete picture and the patient a better chance of getting the best treatment. This nation must move to rationally address the disarray of its health-care system. Until it does, though, heroic local efforts like the Providence Everett Healthcare Clinic will be sorely needed.

1. Snohomish County man dies of swine flu 2. Lynnwood bank reprimanded by government 3. Police ID make of vehicle in fatal hit-and-run 4. Armed man shot by deputies in Arlington 5. IRS joins puppy mill investigation 6. Jetty Island ready for sand castles 7. Boeing's 6-month tally: 1 net order 8. Warriors & Patriots: Many American Indians served before getting full citizenship rights 9. Movin' out 10. Marshals seize swindler's home 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Warriors looking for balance • Three Scots vying for QB slot • Jackson looks for another title • Decorated veteran continues to serve as active volunteer • City Council reviewing sign regulations • Wildcats get a peek at newcomers • Lynnwood still in rebuilding mode • Shoreline feels a kindergarten growth spurt • Leave the patriotic pyrotechnics to professionals, cities urge • Trading dollars for kilowatts New PUD energy conservation programs save ... • By John Wolcott SCBJ Editor • Record crowd at Paine Field’s General Aviation Day as FHC Celebrate ... • Celebration of aviation's history and future presented in multiple venue ... • The time is ripe for small businesses to take no prisoners • EPA proposal to regulate global-warming gases would be costly for small ... • Innovation helps the town of Forks to offset tough economy • Powering the people