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CANYONVILLE -- There seems to be no short-term solutions for South County's health care crisis as Mercy Health Clinic in Canyonville readies to close its doors Jan. 1.
A group of about 15 people representing the city, health care and businesses held an informational meeting Tuesday to learn about the options for a new health clinic in the area. Kate Clemens, an Oregon Office of Rural Health field specialist, came to the meeting to present the options and discuss the office's role in the process.
However, committee members and others were concerned on the limits each option presented.
"There's an if and but to everything," said Canyonville Mayor Chuck Spindel.
Clemens said ORH defines Canyonville as a primary care service area, and providers must be within a 30-minute-trip radius. She said Douglas County received the federal designations of being a Health Professional Shortage Area and Medically Underserved Population.
In addition, ORH designated Canyonville as an Area of Unmet Health Care Need.
The designations combined allow the South County communities to apply for three different clinic options: A federally certified rural health clinic, a federally qualified health center, or a clinic that is similar but does not receive any federal grant money.
Clemens said Douglas County's Health Professional Shortage Area designation has expired, and a renewal is pending with the federal government. Until the renewal process is complete, no rural health clinics can be created in the county. And there's no timeline on the decision, she said.
Canyonville fits all the requirements for a federally qualified health center, such as the Umpqua Community Health Center in Roseburg and Glide, but the application process could take months to complete.
A fourth option is to create a health district, a public entity that creates a permanent tax revenue to support clinic operations. However, Clemens said districts can only be created during general elections and the next one will be in 2006.
Though the option was not discarded, committee members and others were skeptical about the possibility.
"Forming a district with tax is not going to work in South County," Spindel said.
The Office of Rural Health's role, Clemens said, would be to provide assistance in creating a private, nonprofit or public clinic according to the requirements for each one of the four options. After a clinic is established, ORH can provide management assistance, such as budgeting and certain training.
Debbie Boswell, Mercy Health Clinic's director, said 53 percent of the clinic's current patients are under the poverty level and insured under the Oregon Health Plan or simply have no insurance.
She said she has had meetings with companies whose employees live in South County and use the clinic's services to discuss options for those insured with employer assistance. She said the committee and the companies' representatives should join forces to bring a solution to the area.
"It will take many members at the table to make this work," she said.
While the committee and other community representatives from South County wait for a solution, the best option is to find interim funding to subsidize services provided by other health care providers in Canyonville, suggested Linda Mullins, executive director of the Umpqua Community Health Center.
Although the meeting didn't lead the committee to any conclusions, Clemens believes the ORH goals were achieved.
"The purpose was to give basic information to maintain and ensure health care in the area," she said. "All options do require some work."
A new meeting with audience participation will be scheduled in the future, said councilor Ed Parker, the committee's chairman. But for the next few months, he said, the committee will only gather information.
* You can reach reporter Juliana Renno at 957-4230 or by e-mail at jrenno@newsreview.info.
A group of about 15 people representing the city, health care and businesses held an informational meeting Tuesday to learn about the options for a new health clinic in the area. Kate Clemens, an Oregon Office of Rural Health field specialist, came to the meeting to present the options and discuss the office's role in the process.
However, committee members and others were concerned on the limits each option presented.
"There's an if and but to everything," said Canyonville Mayor Chuck Spindel.
Clemens said ORH defines Canyonville as a primary care service area, and providers must be within a 30-minute-trip radius. She said Douglas County received the federal designations of being a Health Professional Shortage Area and Medically Underserved Population.
In addition, ORH designated Canyonville as an Area of Unmet Health Care Need.
The designations combined allow the South County communities to apply for three different clinic options: A federally certified rural health clinic, a federally qualified health center, or a clinic that is similar but does not receive any federal grant money.
Clemens said Douglas County's Health Professional Shortage Area designation has expired, and a renewal is pending with the federal government. Until the renewal process is complete, no rural health clinics can be created in the county. And there's no timeline on the decision, she said.
Canyonville fits all the requirements for a federally qualified health center, such as the Umpqua Community Health Center in Roseburg and Glide, but the application process could take months to complete.
A fourth option is to create a health district, a public entity that creates a permanent tax revenue to support clinic operations. However, Clemens said districts can only be created during general elections and the next one will be in 2006.
Though the option was not discarded, committee members and others were skeptical about the possibility.
"Forming a district with tax is not going to work in South County," Spindel said.
The Office of Rural Health's role, Clemens said, would be to provide assistance in creating a private, nonprofit or public clinic according to the requirements for each one of the four options. After a clinic is established, ORH can provide management assistance, such as budgeting and certain training.
Debbie Boswell, Mercy Health Clinic's director, said 53 percent of the clinic's current patients are under the poverty level and insured under the Oregon Health Plan or simply have no insurance.
She said she has had meetings with companies whose employees live in South County and use the clinic's services to discuss options for those insured with employer assistance. She said the committee and the companies' representatives should join forces to bring a solution to the area.
"It will take many members at the table to make this work," she said.
While the committee and other community representatives from South County wait for a solution, the best option is to find interim funding to subsidize services provided by other health care providers in Canyonville, suggested Linda Mullins, executive director of the Umpqua Community Health Center.
Although the meeting didn't lead the committee to any conclusions, Clemens believes the ORH goals were achieved.
"The purpose was to give basic information to maintain and ensure health care in the area," she said. "All options do require some work."
A new meeting with audience participation will be scheduled in the future, said councilor Ed Parker, the committee's chairman. But for the next few months, he said, the committee will only gather information.
* You can reach reporter Juliana Renno at 957-4230 or by e-mail at jrenno@newsreview.info.
