Endocrinologist David Newell, M.D. and Nurse Practitioner Teresa McDonald, F.N.P., lead the diabetes treatment program.
When a Family Health Center patient has a test done at the hospital, test results are just a computer click away and become a part of the patient’s overall medical record at the hospital. If a patient must be seen in the Emergency Department, the physician on duty has immediate access to a comprehensive medical record.” – Heather Paulsen, Family Health Center practice manager. The best kind of rural healthcare system is one that provides comprehensive primary care with access to specialists and onsite support services such as lab, x-ray and physical therapy. Even better is a system that gives medical providers one-click computer access to test results. North Coast Family Health Center, located on the Mendocino Coast District Hospital campus, offered all of those “bests” in 2008 for more than 25,000 patient visits. The six physicians, four nurse practitioners and 21 support staff provide a wide range of primary care services, from pediatrics to adult diabetes counseling, family medicine, endocrinology, women’s health and osteopathic medicine. Visiting specialists also offer orthopedic surgeries, podiatry, cardiology and nephrology consultations.
Easy Access
Heather Paulsen, Practice Manager, and Sylvia Potter, R.N., Clinical Supervisor
Located on the MCDH campus, Family Health Center gives patients easy access – a short walk across the parking lot – to the pharmacy, lab, diagnostic imaging, physical therapy and outpatient surgery. “This is an important community health resource,” said Raymond Hino, CEO of Mendocino Coast District Hospital. “We offer all the important basic healthcare services right here in Fort Bragg, eliminating the need for Coast residents to go over the hill to other facilities.” Hino also noted that Family Health Center accepts most insurances, including Blue Shield, Blue Cross, Medi-Cal and Medicare.
Experienced Management
The job of managing the Health Center, which became part of the hospital about 20 months ago, falls to Heather Paulsen, an experienced healthcare manager who has worked as part of the District Hospital management team since 2004. Sylvia Potter, RN, joined the Health Center in early 2008 as Clinical Supervisor. Potter has more than 20 years experience in primary care, hospital and home health nursing, case management, utilization review and more. She leads an experienced team of nurses and medical assistants who assist the physicians and nurse practitioners in providing high quality health care to the residents of the Mendocino Coast.