Local News

Wahkiakum County officials have found a new avenue to explore as they search for answers to funding the Wahkiakum Family Practice Clinic.
The county bought the clinic from PeaceHealth Medical Center just over two years ago when PeaceHealth wanted to close it. They expected to run it on a subsidy but losses have exceeded their expectations, and with a revenue shortage on their hands, they are looking for ways to get the clinic on a stable financial footing.
They held a public forum last week in Rosburg to discuss the matter with Westend residents; they will hold another next Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., in the River Street Meeting Room to discuss it with eastern county residents.

This past Monday, officials met with representatives of the Cowlitz Family Health Center and discussed the feasibility of federal qualified health clinics (FQHC). Cowlitz Family Health operates clinics in Longview and Woodland.
What the officials learned interested them: they had previously examined FQHC status and said it wouldn't be worthwhile to pursue because it would take over a year to achieve and the process would create its own revenue shortfall as funding contracts changed.
However, on Monday they learned that if an existing FQHC such as Cowlitz Family Health, acquired the clinic, they could avoid time and expense of applying for FQHC status.
The clinic currently operates as federally recognized rural health center. FQHC clinics receive higher compensation rates for Medicare and Medicaid service than federal rural health centers receive, the officials said.

Clinic operation would change under FQHC status, said Commissioner Tom Doumit.
The clinic would charge fees based on a sliding scale and be open to all who sought care.
A FQHC clinic could offer services such as dentistry and maternity care not now offered. It would seek compensation from emergency services when doctors or other staff took part in ambulance calls.
Clinic operations will change no matter, said commission Chair George Trott. There will have to be changes in services and staff to address the revenue shortfall, he said.

Officials said they would continue to investigate the possibility. First, they planned to discuss it with clinic staff and then have more talks with Cowlitz Family Health administrators and directors.
"We're not served by delaying," said Commissioner Dan Cothren. "We need to do some fact finding."

When the county purchased the clinic, it wasn't officials' intention that the county would continue to own and operate it, said Doumit, who was a deputy prosecuting attorney at the time and helped negotiate many of the contracts that set up the clinic.
"At the time, I felt, yeah, we'd take a loss but . . . " Cothren said. "We weren't going to be doing this long term. It was going to be self sufficient or profitable."