Health centers extending hours
Medical treatment will become more convenient as the Northern and Southern clinics will be extending hours.
January 2, 2015Updated: January 2, 2015
By KUAM News
By KUAM News by Jolene Toves
Guam - Getting seen for medical treatment will become more convenient as Public Health's Northern and Southern clinics will be extending hours. If you avail yourself to the primary health care services at Public Health then you will be happy to learn that the operational hours will extend starting on Monday January 5.
Health services administrator Linda Denorcey said, "This is made possible through an expanded medical capacity grant which was written and this allows us to not only services up until six o' clock at night like we normally do but now our hours are going to go through 7:30 in the morning Monday through Friday all the until 8 o clock in the evening and the on Saturday in the northern center we are going to open from 7:30 to six o'clock in the evening."
The new hours will also be applicable to the Southern Regional Health Center, but with different hours. "South will be Monday through Thursday it will be 7:30 in the morning all the way to 8 o' clock at night and then Friday it will be 7:30 until five o clock in the evening and then Saturday in the south it will be from 7:30 to 12," Denorcey added.
Denorcey says that Saturday hours for the Southern Regional Clinic will be piloted and based on patient turn out will be modified. She stresses that the expanded operational hours are only applicable to the Southern and Northern clinics and do not apply to the Mangilao facility. This grant for expanded hours was made possible through the Health Resources Services Administration which allowed opportunities for community health centers throughout the United States, it's territories and the pacific island jurisdictions to increase the number of patients by allowing greater access to care.
"As you know, our health centers are overflowing with lots of patients so this was an opportune time for us to apply for federal funds so that we can really increase our hours and thereby have more people that cannot make it during regular work hours," she added.
According to Denorcey one big barrier to health care is transportation and the extended hours will create more convenience for patients, adding, "And by having these hours we also anticipate not only more people coming in but we also will alleviate overcrowding at the hospital and our goal is really to provide primary healthcare services and that is our focus we want to make certain that the patient coming in here is undergoing those types of services."
Denorcey says that as long as patient numbers increase and the federal government is pleased with the extended hours the expanded services program will continue granted there is federal funding and approval. "But according to our grantors they're saying that if you continue to increase your numbers then we continue to give you the money and we have been very fortunate also not only proving that but we have also improved our quality measures that we just recently got another supplemental of $19,000 because our performance measures have increased and thereby they gave us extra money," she said.
As a result of the expanded hours Public Health is recruiting additional staff as the current staff is not sufficient to accommodate the new hours.
Guam - Getting seen for medical treatment will become more convenient as Public Health's Northern and Southern clinics will be extending hours. If you avail yourself to the primary health care services at Public Health then you will be happy to learn that the operational hours will extend starting on Monday January 5.
Health services administrator Linda Denorcey said, "This is made possible through an expanded medical capacity grant which was written and this allows us to not only services up until six o' clock at night like we normally do but now our hours are going to go through 7:30 in the morning Monday through Friday all the until 8 o clock in the evening and the on Saturday in the northern center we are going to open from 7:30 to six o'clock in the evening."
The new hours will also be applicable to the Southern Regional Health Center, but with different hours. "South will be Monday through Thursday it will be 7:30 in the morning all the way to 8 o' clock at night and then Friday it will be 7:30 until five o clock in the evening and then Saturday in the south it will be from 7:30 to 12," Denorcey added.
Denorcey says that Saturday hours for the Southern Regional Clinic will be piloted and based on patient turn out will be modified. She stresses that the expanded operational hours are only applicable to the Southern and Northern clinics and do not apply to the Mangilao facility. This grant for expanded hours was made possible through the Health Resources Services Administration which allowed opportunities for community health centers throughout the United States, it's territories and the pacific island jurisdictions to increase the number of patients by allowing greater access to care.
"As you know, our health centers are overflowing with lots of patients so this was an opportune time for us to apply for federal funds so that we can really increase our hours and thereby have more people that cannot make it during regular work hours," she added.
According to Denorcey one big barrier to health care is transportation and the extended hours will create more convenience for patients, adding, "And by having these hours we also anticipate not only more people coming in but we also will alleviate overcrowding at the hospital and our goal is really to provide primary healthcare services and that is our focus we want to make certain that the patient coming in here is undergoing those types of services."
Denorcey says that as long as patient numbers increase and the federal government is pleased with the extended hours the expanded services program will continue granted there is federal funding and approval. "But according to our grantors they're saying that if you continue to increase your numbers then we continue to give you the money and we have been very fortunate also not only proving that but we have also improved our quality measures that we just recently got another supplemental of $19,000 because our performance measures have increased and thereby they gave us extra money," she said.
As a result of the expanded hours Public Health is recruiting additional staff as the current staff is not sufficient to accommodate the new hours.