Redding Rancheria to open second facility

Aug. 19--REDDING, California -- Redding Rancheria will open a second facility Nov. 2 to serve non-tribal members with Medi-Cal insurance.

According to Redding Rancheria's Executive Director Glen Hayward, the idea to open an additional branch came about after Partnership HealthPlan of California, a managed care program, addressed the issue of the lack of healthcare access among Medi-Cal patients in Shasta County.

Hayward said that an additional facility was something the Rancheria's tribal council had been considering for a while, which is why they decided to fund it immediately. The current facility on Liberty Street in downtown Redding serves approximately 6,000 patients a month. A facility, located on Churn Creek Road, is being remodeled and retrofitted and will serve another 6,000 people.

"This is just an extension of the current family," he said. "This is going to be a new venture for us."

Hayward said Medi-Cal patients in Shasta County have difficulty finding a doctor because family doctors in the county are scarce, and the ones available are either retiring or aren't taking on new patients. "People just don't seem to have access to care," he said.

While people with private insurance have a number of options for coverage, it's not the same for those with Medi-Cal. According to a report by the California Department of Public Health, in 2011, more than 40,000 people were on Medi-Cal services in Shasta County. But because no doctor was assigned to them, they either end up in hospital emergency rooms or urgent care for medical treatment.

The new Redding Rancheria facility is already equipped with a radiology unit for X-rays, and the current plan is to have a medical department and urgent care walk-in that will be open five days a week. After the medical aspect of the clinic is set up, Hayward said they will expand to behavioral and mental health services.

"Once we address these concerns, we can have a better community," he said.

The plan is to have staff on board before the facility opens on its official date. There are still challenges ahead. Hayward said that in Shasta County, a greater number of people need care and access.

"There isn't a big enough facility to manage all of them," he said. However, 6,000 is all they can handle "to provide good quality care."

He added that this kind of work can't be done by one facility alone. If Redding Rancheria is able to play a small part in keeping Medi-Cal patients out of emergency rooms, it will save hospitals thousands of dollars, he said.

"This is a small step. Hopefully, this will keep moving forward,," he said. The goal is to provide quality care, and treat them with respect and dignity, he said. "Our hope is that it grows for us and we make it bigger and bigger."

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