Carlisle clinic that lost its doctors tries to heal

June 17--CEO Ken Green is taking a slow, careful approach to rebuilding the staff of Sadler Health Center. That means the clinic in downtown Carlisle will continue to strain to care for patients for part of the summer.

But Green predicts a well-staffed, revamped clinic by the end of August. "It's looking very optimistic at this point," he said on Monday.

Sadler, when running at full strength, provides medical and dental care for about 9,000 people with lower incomes, including many who are covered by government programs or have no heath insurance.

It was rocked earlier this year by the resignation of all four of its physicians. Presently, Sadler is relying on a temporary doctor and two nurse practitioners. However, one of the nurse practitioners will leave by the end of the month.

"In the month of July, it just looks like were going to have a very difficult time taking care of adult patients ... By the end of August, I think we'll be doing really well," Green said.

Green said Sadler will still be able to serve pediatric patients, and stressed dental care hasn't been disrupted.

Green said he's making progress in recruiting new doctors and additional nurse practitioners, who are qualified to diagnose illnesses and write prescriptions and, according to Green, can handle 80 percent of patient needs.

He said Monday he was awaiting a signed contract from a nurse practitioner who would start in early August, and had an interview scheduled this week with a physician who would serve at the Sadler's medical director.

Green said he's conducting a national search for two more doctors; he stressed there's a national shortage of family doctors, which slows the process. He further said his goal is to find doctors whose goals align closely with those of Sadler.

He said he's using the rebuilding process to revamp many of the work practices at Sadler, and to closely align the staff with Sadler's mission.

"We're implementing a cultural transformation within the organization to create a more team-oriented and team-focused environment. It's just a different model. It's not to say what I stepped into was wrong. It's just different," said Green, who came to Sadler early this year following the resignation of the previous CEO, Elaine Herstek.

Jane Burke, a Sadler trustee, said, "Things are staring to move forward very rapidly. We are very optimistic we are going to have an even better Sadler come this fall."

But it's been a painful year so far. Gateway Health Plan, which manages the care of people covered by Medicaid, shifted 1,400 Sadler patients to other providers, because Sadler could no longer fulfill the Gateway requirement of enrolling each patient with a doctor, Green said.

After news of Sadler's troubles broke this spring, many people thought Sadler was closed, Green said.

All the while, Sadler has been dealing with a revenue shortfall of about $500,000.

On Monday, Sadler laid off four employees in non-patient care positions. Beyond that, Sadler has left some vacant positions unfilled, and many staff members have accepted voluntary reductions in their hours, Green said.

Sadler, which is located in downtown Carlisle, has at times had as many as five physicians.

However, Green said his staffing goal is a medical director who will see patients part-time, two additional physicians, and four nurse practitioners. He believes that configuration will enable Sadler to serve as many patients as it did at it's peak, if not more.

Sadler said local medical practices have been helping to meet needs of Sadler patients, and Carlisle Regional Medical Center is helping with recruiting.

Sadler has an annual budget of about $5 million, and gets about a quarter of it funding from the The Partnership for Better Health, an non-profit organization devoted to local health that was formerly called the Carlisle Health and Wellness Foundation.

The partnership upped this year's contribution by about $500,000 to help Sadler weather the troubles, said Becca Raley, the executive director.

Meanwhile, Green said he's working with a consultant to improve Sadler's application for federal funding. The target is a federal grant program that could provide up to $650,000 next year and would open the door to long-term federal funding.

Both Green and Burke credited Sadler staff for their efforts during the trying times and for steps such as accepting reductions in hours.

Green said, "We have an incredible staff here. We would not have been able to weather these transitions without the dedication of our staff. It's been inspiring in a lot of ways."

The Sadler staff presently numbers 32, down from 42 at the beginning of the year.

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