Royal clinic now open as providers available

Grant County Hospital District No. 7 modifies contract with clinic

ROYAL CITY — Members of both Grant County Hospital District No. 7 and The Clinic at Royal City may be one step closer to deciding the fate of the Clinic's future after a meeting Monday evening.

At the meeting the hospital board took action to modify its contract with Country Clinics, a non-profit organization that owns the Clinic.

"We're now going to pay them on a per day (basis) for every day they provide medical services," said Bob Schrom, hospital district secretary in a phone interview Tuesday with the Herald.

In the past the Clinic contracted with the hospital district to receive money each month to support its operations. The Clinic would try to make up the difference as the hospital district can only offer so much money per month.

A lack of healthcare providers made it difficult and resulted in the Clinic closing its doors July 24.

Schrom said his understanding is the Clinic would try to stay open one to two days a week on a regular basis through Country Clinics.

Clinic co-administrator Elli Nelson said the Clinic is open as providers remain available and will try to keep the public informed ahead of time about which days they can receive service.

Nelson, who was present at the meeting, said Tuesday the contract modification makes sense, adding that a long term solution is needed.

"I think that it's beginning to be very obvious to us that a small world clinic cannot exist on its own very easily and it may be the size of the community we live in," Nelson said.

In the meantime, the Clinic and hospital district are considering proposals from both Columbia Basin Health Association in Othello and Wenatchee Valley Medical Center in Wenatchee.

Both health care organizations have shown interest in helping to bring health care services to the Royal City area.

Wenatchee Valley Medical Center representative David Olson said Tuesday afternoon he had come to get a better feel for what the needs of the community in Royal City are. In recent weeks Olson has been in conversations with Clinic co-administrator Amy Jo Para and asked to offer assistance to the Clinic in looking at what its options are.

"I think frankly the next step is if the community wants to pursue that we probably need to talk to different segments of that community," Olson said of having Wenatchee Valley Medical Center establish a clinic in Royal CIty.

Olson mentioned that if a loyal patient base could be reestablished, a viable practice is a possibility in his opinion.

Nelson says he believes proposals by Wenatchee Valley Medical Center look most promising.

"That's going to result in a clinic there in Royal City that stays there," she said. "We've talked to some of the other people and other organizations and nothing else gave as much surety that that clinic would stay there and stay open."