EDMONDS — Beginning Monday, Sept. 19, low-income families will have a new choice of where they go for health care. Community Health Center of Snohomish County will open a clinic next to Swedish/Edmonds Hospital at 21701 76th Ave. W., Suite 300.
In 1992, the Department of Health and Human Services designated parts of Edmonds as medically underserved areas. An MUA is a defined geographic area where access to medical care for low-income residents is below a designated threshold. Due to a lack of doctors able to offer services to patients who are at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level ($44,700 income per year for a family of four), the designation remains even in 2011.
Low-income Edmonds-area families had to drive some distance to receive care or they used the Swedish/Edmonds Hospital Emergency Department.
Community Health Centers’ data shows 14,087 adults and children from low-income homes don’t receive primary health care in the Edmonds, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace area. CHC’s Lynnwood clinic is nearby, but it has long been operating at capacity. There are no other public health clinics in the area.
CHC’ Edmonds clinic will accept patients with Medicaid, Medicare, Healthy Options and TRICARE and offers a discounted fee program based on family income and family size.
Services that will be available at the clinic include family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, chronic disease management, diabetes care, immunizations and well child checks.
Interpreters are also available and a pharmacy in the building will accept CHC patients.
Dr. Andrew Perry will serve as clinical director. He specializes in internal medicine. He previously saw patients at the CHC 112th Street clinic in south Everett.
Dr. Kristen Obillo specializes in family medicine and received her medical degree from University of the East, in the Philippines. In 2010 she completed her family medicine residency at Flower Hospital in Sylvania, Ohio. She previously saw patients at the CHC Broadway clinic in north Everett.
Dr. Varun Jhaveri specializes in pediatrics and received his medical degree from Rush Medical College in Chicago. Dr. Jhaveri most recently provided care to patients at the Ballard Pediatric Clinic and Public Health of Seattle and King County.
Physician assistant Heather Gregory received her master of physician asistant studies degree in 2011 from Pacific University, Hillsboro, Ore.
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