HomeMy WebLinkAboutLa Pine Comm Health ClinicOctober 15, 2008
Dave Kanner, Administrator
Deschutes County Commisioners Office
Dear Dave:
We are contacting you to request financial support for the transitional expenses we will
be occurring to form and start a new Federally Qualified Health Center in LaPine,
Oregon. Your support will enable us to cash flow our operation until we can have access
to forthcoming federal grant funds and operational revenue. Below we have explained
our situation and need and hope that your organization can support our mission.
The LaPine Community Health Center (LPCHC), a newly formed non-profit
organization, proposes to establish a new Federally Qualified Health Center to serve the
underserved population residing in the community of LaPine and surrounding
communities in Deschutes and Klamath Counties, Oregon. The service area, covering
the southern portion of Deschutes and the northern portion of Klamath Counties is home
to a population of 12,505 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). This Area has been designated as
being home to Medically Underserved Population and as a Health Profession Shortage
Area by the Shortage Designation Branch of the Health Resources and Services
Administration.
Within the Service Area, 1,556 or 12.6% of the residents live with incomes under 100%
of the Federal Poverty Level while 37.6% or 4,685 individuals live with incomes under
200% of the Federal Poverty Level (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Of these, and estimated
2,456 or 52.4% are uninsured, 1,362 or 29% are Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid)
recipients (Office of Medical Assistance Programs, September, 2006), and 867 or 18.5%
have Medicare (total Medicare population in the service area is estimated at 2,304) (U.S.
Census Bureau, 2000).
Special healthcare needs of the population include a higher mortality rate due to diabetes
(43.3/100,000 versus 28.6/100,000), heart disease (362/100,000 versus 187.6/100,000),
all cancers (331/100,000 versus 195/100,000), lung cancer (62/100,000 versus
57.9/100,000), a higher rate of low birthweight babies (60.5/1000 versus 59.4/1000), a
lower childhood immunization rate (76.5% versus 81%), a higher suicide rate
(41.3/100,000 versus 14.8/100,000), a higher percent elderly rate (18.5% versus 12.9%),
a higher rate of unintentional injuries (51.2/100,000 versus 37.1/100,000). Each indicator
is in comparison to statewide rates. Health indicators underscore the need for a number
of services including preventative primary care and chronic disease management,
prenatal care and mental health care.
The service area is located 30 miles and 40 minutes away, via a two-lane state highway,
from the next nearest source of accessible primary care for the low-income accepting
Medicare, Oregon Health Plan and uninsured. The next populated area to the south is
Klamath Falls, a 1.5 hour drive via Highway 97, the same two-lane highway heading
south. To the west, the region is primarily wilderness, and to the east, it is made up of
long stretches of open range all the way to the Idaho state line. Winters in Central
Oregon are harsh and roads are often icy and impassable, making access to Bend's
medical community extremely difficult and at times not possible at all. For many
residents of the service area, transportation is simply not available and there are few
options for public transport.
Lack of insurance and ability to pay for services is another significant barrier to basic
healthcare. High unemployment rates (10.4% for LaPine versus 6.0% for Oregon)
(Oregon Employment Department, July, 2008), high drop-out rates (25.1 % for LaPine
H.S. versus 13.7% for the State of Oregon)(Oregon Dept. of Education, 2006-2007),
higher percent 25 and over with no High School diploma ( 22.4% for LaPine versus
14.9% for Oregon) (U. S. Census Bureau, 2000) and low-paying jobs with either no
insurance benefit or a high deductible plans and lack of primary care providers contribute
to the inability to access healthcare.
A number of objectives will be undertaken by LPCHC to improve health outcomes for
these identified indicators. First, it will provide greater access to primary care for low-
income uninsured children in order to provide needed well-child visits and required
immunizations. LPCHC will participate in the federal Vaccine for Children (VFC)
program and purchases vaccines for children with insurance coverage. The goal will be
to achieve a 90% immunization rate. To impact low birthweight babies and high infant
mortality rates, LPCHC will establish prenatal care for the first time in the community,
and then make efforts to work with the community to encourage early participation in this
care. With Federal Tort Claims Act participation, providers currently at the Rural Health
Clinic, will be able to provide these services that were previously not allowed by the
malpractice insurance carriers. Also, arrangements have been made to coordinate care
with the Bend OB/GYN practitioners to provide sliding fee scale discounts to our patients
that we refer to them for prenatal care. LPCHC will implement a screening tool to assess
and identify patients needing mental health and substance abuse services, and will make
appropriate referrals to DCMH. The existing pediatric lifecycle includes a full risk
assessment and this will be used at LPCHC to reduce early mortality in children by
tracking developmental milestones, nutrition, environmental risks, etc. LPCHC will also
analyze infant mortality data to identify trends and, if possible, take appropriate action to
impact them. LPCHC will implement plans to increase the number of patients taking
advantage of tobacco cessation programs in order to decrease the incidence of cancer,
cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases.
LPCHC will have an on-site case manager to coordinate services for patients. In
addition, we will have a referrals coordinator, pharmacy assistance coordinator, and OHP
(Medicaid) enrollment coordinator. LPCHC will have a system to track patients for
follow-up visits, as well as preventive visits. Additionally, we will track all lab,
radiology, specialty referrals, and hospital admissions. LPCHC will track these services
in order to ensure that patients do not suffer negative health outcomes as a result of being
lost to follow-up, and to ensure abnormal reports are addressed expeditiously.
In order to accomplish our goals we are in need of transitional funding. There are many
expenses that have and will need to occur in order to form the non-profit corporation,
apply for the 501 c3 tax exempt status from IRS, facilitate an acquisition agreement, and
other planning and contracting issues. A budget has been prepared and shown below.
Legal Fees $20,000
Accountant Fees $4,000
IT Planning Fees $1,100
Miscellaneous Expenses $900
Total $26,000
Your support will help us cover the costs associated with preliminary work, that must be
completed prior to receiving our federal grant.
Thank you for your time and we hope to hear from you soon. If you have any questions
Please contact me at 541-536-3435x209 (work phone) or 541-480-0492 (cell phone).
Sincerely,
Chance Steffey,
LaPine Community Health Center