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HOME > ABOUT > PRESS > NEW HEALTH CLINIC DRAWS PATIENTS TO NOVATO
Article published - April 6, 2009
Credit: MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL
New health clinic draws patients to Novato
by Rob Rogers
The first families and would-be patients began arriving at the new Marin Community Clinics site in Novato at 8:30 Monday morning - even though the clinic wouldn't open its doors for another five hours.
"We're expecting to serve about 6,000 patients" annually, said Susan Weibers, director of clinic services, stepping around a stack of cardboard boxes while a staff member unwrapped a computer monitor. "Those numbers could go up by about a thousand depending on how the economic situation is in our market."
All three Marin Community Clinics sites - the others are in San Rafael and Greenbrae - have seen an increase in patients in the past year, a change Weibers attributes to the recession.
"We had a record number of visits in March, and we've seen a lot more applications for Medi-Cal," said Art Feagles, chief financial officer for Marin Community Clinics. "We don't know exactly why this is the case, but we presume that people are slipping down the economic ladder."
Like its former site on Professional Center Drive, which closed Friday, the new Novato clinic at 6100 Redwood Blvd. provides medical care for adults and children as well as mental and reproductive health care. The new 9,600-square-foot site, renovated at a cost of $2.9 million, is more than twice as large as the previous space and has eight more exam rooms for a total of 18, as well as two treatment rooms and several counseling and conference rooms for health education, flu shots and the clinic's visiting chiropractor.
"Most of our equipment came over from the other clinic," Weibers said. "But we did buy some new things as a result of the space being designed differently."
The new clinic is near Highway 101 and within walking distance of a Golden Gate Transit bus stop. Unlike its previous location, it's also on flat ground.
"One of my patients with severe hip and knee arthritis had to stagger up the hill to see me," said Dr. Erik Schten, medical director of the Novato clinic. "That's just not right. It's the antithesis of medical care."
While clinic administrators plan to dedicate the new building on April 29, they're still ironing out a few of the details. The Novato Fire Protection District has asked the clinic to re-route its traffic patterns, and administrators say they'd like to make it easier for drivers to drop off patients at its door. In addition, the clinic is considering expanding its 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday hours to weekends.
"Weekends are important to many of our clients, because they can't take time away from work during the week," Feagles said.
Contact Rob Rogers via e-mail at rrogers@marinij.com
To make an appointment at any of the Marin Community Clinics sites, call 448-1500. There is a $30 minimum fee.
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