The difference between the Southwest Utah Community Health Center and other health care providers in the community is the health center provides quality health care to everyone, including the uninsured, for affordable prices.
The Community Health Center, which has the motto "Making lives better in Southwest Utah," treats patients of all ages. It has a patient base of approximately 4,800 with about 13,000 visits a year.
The center, one of 1,200 across the nation, celebrates National Health Center Week this week with the theme "where access and quality care begins," highlighting the centers' roles as health care homes providing preventative and primary care.
With two locations in the community - the newest location opened at Millcreek High School in June - the health center offers discounts to Washington County School District students and uninsured staff members.
In a previous interview Millcreek High School principal Terry Ogborn said she was excited about the partnership between the school district, Intermountain Healthcare and the Southwest Utah Community Health Center, which made the facility a reality.
"This is a dream come true," Ogborn said. "A majority of our students are lower income and don't have the luxury of health care."
The school has an onsite daycare and has a population of students that has limited access to health care.
Nancy Neff, CEO of the local Community Health Center, said it offers $10 doctor visits for students and $20 visits for uninsured school district employees with dental care provided on a sliding fee scale.
Already, the center is seeing 15 medical patients a day and eight dental patients on Tuesdays and Thursdays, even though, as Neff points out, school hasn't been in session since the center opened.
Neff said a new physician, Thomas Bigham, recently joined the staff, enabling the center at 168 N. 100 East to continue to take new patients.
As a 501(C)3, non-profit organization, Neff said the center focuses on quality health care rather than profits and provides not only medical and dental care, but has a clinical social worker and provides other services, including a prescription assistance program.
Neff said the health center has a large percentage of patients with no insurance but also others with all types of insurance ranging from private to Medicare, Medicaid and CHIPS.
"We are the only physician's office locally that is accredited by the joint commission," Neff said. The standards are rigorous and ensure safe, high-quality, outcome-based health care. We are also required by the federal government to meet certain goals for health outcomes - for diabetes, childhood immunizations, prenatal care, birth weight rates and hypertension care."
Federal grants help the center provide affordable health care for those who are uninsured or under-insured.
Neff said the center gets resourceful with federal grants and is hoping health care reform won't force these centers to rely so heavily on grants.
"That takes so much time and energy that could be better spent on providing more types of care and more resources for the community members," she said.
In addition to federal funds, the health center is helped by Intermountain Healthcare.
A partnership with the hospital provides X-rays, ultrasounds and lab work for the health center's patients.
Neff said she believes health care is a right and is pleased that the health center can provide high-quality services so people can stay healthy and out of hospitals.
"We have so many resources here for health and for ways for people to stay healthy insured or not," Neff said. "We are an equal opportunity doctor's office. We'll take everybody."
For more information about the Southwest Utah Community Health Center, visit the Web site at www.swuchc.com.
For more information about National Health Center week, visit the Web site at www.healthcenterweek.org.
By Patrice St. Germain, St. George Spectrum
