New health care office celebrated [The News Herald, Panama City, Fla.]

Oct. 04--PANAMA CITY -- Local health and governmental agencies celebrated the grand opening of a health care facility for non-emergencies Thursday.

The Village Health Center at A.D. Harris Learning Village, 819 E. 11th St., is an emergency room diversion acute care clinic. The purpose of the clinic is to attract people who have non-emergencies -- such as, sore throats, colds and infections -- in order to divert them from using local emergency rooms as primary care facilities.

The center is open 1 to 9 p.m. until Oct. 14 when hours will expand to 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

"About 60 percent of the people that show up at the E.R. is not truly an E.R. visit, it may be an earache, pinkeyes, sore throat or flu," said Douglas Kent, administrator at Florida Department of Health in Bay County. For non-emergencies at the E.R., "you may be turned down. So, this is a way that we can say 'we can take care of you now and get you into the place that will take care of you in the future.' "

The Florida Department of Health in Bay County collaborated with Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart Health Systems, Gulf Coast Medical Center, the Bay Health Foundation and Panama City Community Redevelopment Agency to establish the center at the A.D. Harris Village.

The facility has been open at A.D. Harris for about two months. A non-emergency medical office at the health department will close on Oct. 14. The service was developed through a $1.1 million state grant and offers patients care based on income.

A regular E.R. visit could cost between $500 and $1,400. At the village, the average cost is $65, officials said.

"It goes from $15 to $130, but several of our clients go from $15 to $50," said Karen Cooley, family support specialist. "So, it saves substantial amounts of money for people."

Cooley said the sliding fee scale -- which determines how much a person pays -- allows for a range of incomes. She said the maximum payment -- $130 -- may be more than what a person who is at the highest end of the income scale would have to pay at a primary care doctor, however, in cases where a primary care doctor is unavailable, the facility could be useful.

"To go to a Level 3 tertiary hospital when you have a cold or a nose bleed -- that's not a good use of funds," said Mayor Greg Brudnicki, who cut the ribbon at the ceremony and proclaimed Thursday as Health Village Day. "This situation, you get in quicker and they can figure out what's going on with you right away.

"It's a perfect scenario," he added.

The clinic takes appointments and walk-ins. Officials said mornings until 4 p.m. are typically reserved for appointments and walk-ins are taken after 4 p.m. Potential clients should bring: driver's license, Social Security card, insurance or Medicaid card and proof of income. If proof of income is not provided, potential clients could be assessed the highest fee, $130.

The 1,517 square foot facility has 16 health care professionals to assist patients. Prescription assistance and health education services are available.

"It's impressive. It's going to be nice," Anette Lippincott said after touring the facility for the first time. "I live in Callaway and it'll be quicker to come here for shots than to go to the health department."

Lippincott added she'll refer people who need financial assistance for health services to the clinic.

For more information, contact the health department at 872-4455 or go to www.baycountyhealth.org.

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