RiverStone providing health care to medically underserved.

Byline: Tim Christie The Register-Guard

SPRINGFIELD - RiverStone Clinic looks like any other doctor's office, with its nondescript waiting area, warrenlike exam rooms and busy medical staff shuttling between patients.

But the clinic, which opened last March, is no ordinary doctor's office. Most of its staff is bilingual. About half its patients are Latinos and other minorities. And it's providing a medical home for the first time in many cases for the uninsured and underinsured, the homeless and at-risk families, as well as people on Medicaid and Medicare who can't get into see other health providers.

The clinic, which is housed in an office building behind Mc- Kenzie-Willamette Medical Center in Springfield, has recruited a top-notch medical staff and provided services to thousands of patients who otherwise may have gone without medical care.

"In just such a short time, we've already had an impact on people we're seeing," said clinic coordinator Selene Jaramillo.

RiverStone, which is holding an open house Thursday, is the centerpiece of Community Health Centers of Lane County. The federally funded program also provides services at Safe & Sound Homeless Youth Clinic, part of Looking Glass New Roads, 941 W. Seventh Ave. in Eugene; as well as the Opportunity Center and Churchill Alternative; and at the Springfield High School Health Center.

The clinics have provided services to 5,000 people since January; RiverStone alone has more than 3,500 patients in its records, a number expected to reach 5,000 sometime early next year, Jaramillo said.

About 25 percent of patients are Latino, and another 25 percent are other minorities such as African American, Native American and Asian. About 35 percent of patients are on the Oregon Health Plan, and an outreach specialist works with patients who aren't on the health plan to see if they're eligible.

Two physicians and two nurse-practitioners staff the clinic, as well as a mental health specialist. All told, 27 staff members work at the five sites; 60 percent are bilingual.

Community health leaders won a three-year, $1.9 million grant last year from the federal Bureau of Primary Care. Federal officials were persuaded to fund the project by statistics that show about 35 percent of Springfield's population is medically underserved - compared to about 20 percent countywide.

A key goal of the clinic is to provide a medical home for people who otherwise would not get health care, Jaramillo said.

Clinic fees are based on a sliding scale. Most patients pay a minimum fee, but those who cannot pay will not be turned away. About 5 percent have commercial insurance.

Clinic organizers hope to expand their services over time, adding providers, offering dental services and expanding their school services, said Steve Manela, Community Health Centers program director.

"We're keen on the idea of low-cost, high-quality care," he said.

COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC

RiverStone Health Clinic, a federally funded clinic for underserved low-income people, the uninsured and minorities, has an open house from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at 1640 G St., Springfield, behind McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center. For information or to make an appointment, call 682-3550.