Published: Friday, January 16, 2009
IN OUR VIEW
Vision for health care access is being realized
Dr. Tony Roon likens our nation's ailing health care system to a cancer patient seeking a cure. No one knows when that cure will be found, but it's more than likely off in the distant future.
When it comes to access to health care, the dream of a cure lies in achieving effective and efficient health coverage for all citizens. Too many of today's patients can only hope for such a day.
That's why a little more than five years ago, Roon presented a new vision for an experimental treatment plan to address unmet needs in our community. His plan offered a new approach to the delivery of health care for the underserved. Thanks to a heavy dose of persistence and a generous community that stepped up to fund the construction of a facility, the doors to the Providence Everett Healthcare Clinic opened a short time later.
Breaking the mold of the traditional clinic, Roon's business plan included the use of nurse practitioners to provide primary care (with oversight provided by a physician medical director) while incorporating a training program for nursing students from the University of Washington and Everett Community College. Fees were established at affordable, sustainable levels, tied closely to Medicare or Medicaid funding formulas. The clinic's mission, simply stated, was to serve the underserved.
Five years later, the experiment is an enormous success.
Looking back, "It seems like yesterday we were planning for this clinic," Roon says. "A lot of people said that unless you have government support this isn't possible. However, when you work at Providence Health Services, things are possible."
In addition to the generous donors, Roon credits a dedicated staff "working at 120 percent productivity every day" for the clinic's success.
Careful and comprehensive assessments continue to drive expansion efforts at the clinic. In addition to primary medical care, it now provides dental care, mental health counseling and vision services.
And Providence Everett Healthcare Clinic isn't the only clinic in the area succeeding as such a mission. The underserved in our community also have Community Health Centers of Snohomish County and Sea Mar Community Health Center in Marysville working to meet their needs.
These folks can't solve the health care crisis by themselves any more than they can find a cure for cancer. They can, however, and do, make a huge difference every day to those in our community who need it most.
When it comes to access to health care, the dream of a cure lies in achieving effective and efficient health coverage for all citizens. Too many of today's patients can only hope for such a day.
That's why a little more than five years ago, Roon presented a new vision for an experimental treatment plan to address unmet needs in our community. His plan offered a new approach to the delivery of health care for the underserved. Thanks to a heavy dose of persistence and a generous community that stepped up to fund the construction of a facility, the doors to the Providence Everett Healthcare Clinic opened a short time later.
Breaking the mold of the traditional clinic, Roon's business plan included the use of nurse practitioners to provide primary care (with oversight provided by a physician medical director) while incorporating a training program for nursing students from the University of Washington and Everett Community College. Fees were established at affordable, sustainable levels, tied closely to Medicare or Medicaid funding formulas. The clinic's mission, simply stated, was to serve the underserved.
Five years later, the experiment is an enormous success.
Looking back, "It seems like yesterday we were planning for this clinic," Roon says. "A lot of people said that unless you have government support this isn't possible. However, when you work at Providence Health Services, things are possible."
In addition to the generous donors, Roon credits a dedicated staff "working at 120 percent productivity every day" for the clinic's success.
Careful and comprehensive assessments continue to drive expansion efforts at the clinic. In addition to primary medical care, it now provides dental care, mental health counseling and vision services.
And Providence Everett Healthcare Clinic isn't the only clinic in the area succeeding as such a mission. The underserved in our community also have Community Health Centers of Snohomish County and Sea Mar Community Health Center in Marysville working to meet their needs.
These folks can't solve the health care crisis by themselves any more than they can find a cure for cancer. They can, however, and do, make a huge difference every day to those in our community who need it most.
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