CLOVERDALE -- Alexander Valley Health Care received federally qualified health center designation from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, which will result in more than $730,000 in annual operating revenue for the rural health clinic.
The designation comes in the form of a nationwide grant totaling $150 million to 236 health centers and will result in significant expansion of services for rural patients in Cloverdale and Geyserville, according to an announcement from HHS and county officials on Wednesday.
The health clinic, part of the nonprofit consortium Redwood Community Health Coalition, filed for the designation in April. With approval, it becomes the North Bay's 10th FQHC, joining other nonprofit health providers that receive a higher reimbursement rate from the federal government for patient care.
"This is the culmination of a dream since joining Alexander Valley Health Care in 2001," Deborah Howell, executive director, said in a statement. "For area residents, it means we can provide services like dental, behavioral health, education and outreach services, and provide health screenings at local schools.
"This also opens the door for Alexander Valley Health Care to apply for federal grants to improve facilities and capacity," Ms. Howell added. "We see the need for services increasing across all sectors of our population and providing a facility that accommodates the diversity of our patient population is a major goal of the board of directors and staff."
The FQHC status and related grant, totaling $733,333 annually, boosts the clinic's annual budget of $2.3 million to about $3.2 million.
The clinic served nearly 3,600 unduplicated patients in 2011. As an FQHC with the expanded services, that number is expected to increase to approximately 4,000 patients in the first year and up to 4,600 in the second year. The new patients would mostly be uninsured, Ms. Howell said.
Public officials hailed the designation as a positive step for health care in rural northern Sonoma and southern Mendocino counties.
"This change in designation and award is an amazing accomplishment for Cloverdale," north county Supervisor Mike McGuire said in a statement. "It means more families and seniors -- all throughout northern Sonoma County -- will be able to access quality, affordable health care close to home and it will be a permanent boost to the local economy." He has been helping to lead the efforts to change the center’s designation for the past three years.
Also instrumental in helping the center obtain the status was Congressman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, who provided crucial support for the application.
"This is the result of tremendous efforts and partnerships between the federal and county government, the health center, and every member of our community who stepped up to make this happen," Mr. Huffman said. "This provides an injection of funding into Cloverdale’s local economy, access to additional funding for future health care needs and it helps keep valuable services local for our community."
The extra funding means increased services to more patients living primarily between Cloverdale and Geyserville in northern Sonoma County and Hopland in southern Mendocino County. It's a region that, like other rural areas, has an acute and well-documented shortage of providers, according to Ms. Howell.
Both Cloverdale and Hopland are federally designated primary care "health professional shortage areas," while the low-income populations in both areas are deemed a "medically underserved population." The area’s 16,887 residents are served by the equivalent of 2.8 full-time primary care physicians, or a little more than 6,000 people per physician. Alexander Valley Healthcare serves a 561-square-mile area.
More than half of the center’s patient base had incomes below 100 percent of the poverty level and 79 percent had incomes below 200 percent of the poverty level, according to the application submitted to the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, a division of Health and Human Services. The population was 45.9 percent Hispanic, consisting largely of migrant workers in the agricultural sector.
The funding comes through the Affordable Care Act, and the designation "strengthens the integration of primary care and behavioral health care infrastructure and increases access to affordable quality health care in Sonoma County, which benefits our entire community," said Rita Scardaci, director of the county’s Health Services Department.
North Bay FQHCs include Marin Community Clinics, Coastal Health Alliance, The Ritter Center, Petaluma Health Center, Sonoma Valley Community Health Center, West County Health Centers, Santa Rosa Community Health Centers, Alliance Medical Center and Community Clinic Ole.
"Improving access to prevention-focused primary health care services is crucial to improving overall health in our community," said Redwood Community Health Chief Medical Officer Mary Maddux-Gonzalez. "When people have access to primary care services, they are much more likely to get preventative care instead of waiting until they are sick and being treated in emergency rooms."
