By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
HOULTON — A new open-access clinic is slated to open March 9 with a full complement of services to meet patients’ medical needs when their physicians are unavailable. The new clinic is an expansion of Katahdin Valley Health Center (KVHC) at 59 Bangor St. Durward Humphrey, CEO of KVHC, said it is opening “because access to providers is overwhelmed during the normal course of business. Physicians’ schedules are double booked and triple booked.”
Even if Congress gets the hotly debated health care reform to the President’s desk this session, it may, according to Humphrey, do little good.
Doctor shortage felt
in rural areas
“If you could wave a magic wand, and all of a sudden tomorrow everybody had insurance, if President Obama could insure every person in America tomorrow, they would still need access — a place to get the health care. That’s what this is all about. There is not enough professional staff or physical space to actually provide services to everybody in this community. And, that’s why open access is sorely needed.” Humphrey said the new clinic has created seven new jobs already and will create another seven when fully staffed. 
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Elna Seabrooks
FRONT DESK — Looking on as executives go over details prior to opening of the new Katahdin Valley Health Center’s (KVHC) open access clinic March 9 is Diane Carriero who greets patients at the front desk. From left are: Durward Humphrey, CEO of KVHC and Casey White, the director of the new Houlton clinic.
Humphrey added that there is a huge shortage of physicians, especially family-care physicians in rural areas. “For every four entering the field there are 10 who are retiring. We recruit 365 days a year for physicians. We are non-stop recruiting for physicians and medical staff for the past two years.” He also said many graduating medical students go into specialty practices as a lifestyle choice to avoid family practice with its longer hours and lower annual income levels.
Casey White is the provider for occupational medicine and director for the new clinic. He said the program is “addressing a need that has been expressed. After 5 p.m., the only access is through emergency rooms which are being overused and expensive. We think we will meet that immediate need and refer patients to whoever is most appropriate to take care of them on an ongoing basis. It may be us or their personal care provider (PCP).”
Funding keeps costs down
While the new clinic is not an option for life-threatening situations like heart attacks or severe wounds, it is potentially a cost-effective way to deal with minor cuts, burns, ear infections, upper respiratory illnesses or injuries — the kinds of illness that would merit a visit to a PCP.
Costs are kept down, according to Humphrey, thanks to federal grants as long as the clinic is in compliance with governmental criteria. Also, the clinic saves on highly expensive malpractice insurance, through free no-cost liability insurance.
The clinic, says Humphrey, bills all third-party insurance companies and accepts MaineCare as well as Medicare in addition to using a sliding scale based on ability to pay. “For some patients it could be as low as $5; for others, as much as $40 or $50. We collect co-pays and bill your insurance carrier. All the discount programs that KVHC offers will be available at the clinic.”
“We have a patient assistance program that secured over $1 million worth of drugs throughout all our health centers for patients who could not afford their drugs. We provided almost $1 million in free care and pretty near $1 million in sliding fees.” 
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Elna Seabrooks
TECH CHECK — Casey White, director of the new Katahdin Valley Health Center clinic in Houlton, checks out equipment in one of the examining rooms.
The “one-stop shop” for health care includes: family medicine, mental health, podiatry, substance abuse, occupational therapy, pediatrics, obstetrics, optometry through contractual arrangements and women’s health. Humphrey said he has plans to expand the clinic’s hours of operation in the future. Until then, the hours starting March 9 in Houlton are: Tuesday and Wednesday 3-11 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
