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Belgrade Regional Health Center: Mission Successful
"We'd like to have people come and just check it out," is the invitation from the President of the Belgrade Regional Health Center Community Board of Directors, Bill Getty. A North Belgrade resident, Bill was Manager of the Health Center from 1998 to 2003 and has served on the Community Board of Directors since. His tenure has given Bill an excellent perspective of the old, the changes, and the new. "We decided to focus on the practice first," Bill describes of the evolution to the brand new, spacious, state-of-the-art equipped, fully accessible, and well staffed facility that had its Grand Opening Open House on Saturday, July 8. The initial focus involved renovations to the converted schoolhouse, where the Health Clinic was located since 1977 in Belgrade Lakes, and to the addition of a second doctor, Dr. Marvin Lee, to the staff which has included Dr. Diane Campbell since 1990. Plans in the works for a new facility, already in place, took off with a 2005 capital campaign, and the focus swung to a building blueprint that had proven successful in another community, a location that would provide easy access and ample parking, and a timeline that was impressively swift. The groundbreaking took place in September 2005 and the clinic opened for business in January 2006. Describing the new facility as "a community effort," Bill says of the campaign, "It was my goal to get this project done. The Board deserves a lot of credit, especially Jack Sutton, who chaired the fund-raising committee, and also a lot of generous individuals who contributed." He describes the new set-up as an asset to the community, a resource that saves a long drive to the next nearest facilities in Waterville or Augusta, and a service that's available to everyone — full time and seasonal residents, and vacationers, too. "Our mission is to see people regardless of their ability to pay," states Bill. The Belgrade Regional Health Center has a sliding fee program based on income and family. Affordability is the philosophy of the Health Center's umbrella organization, the private, non-profit HealthReach, which oversees eleven such federally qualified facilities in central and western Maine. HealthReach supplies the staff, while the buildings are owned by the communities or the community boards of directors. Headquartered in Waterville, the 30-year-old HealthReach's goal is to provide high quality, affordable health care to rural and underserved areas. Its current coverage encompasses eighty communities for a total of 36,000 visits. In terms of provider visits, of the eleven HealthReach clinics, Belgrade represents the largest number. The new 6,000 square foot Belgrade Regional Health Center allows for a lot more patients. There are more, and larger, examination rooms, the lobby is very roomy and includes toilet facilities, there is a colorfully-furnished children's play area and a Belgrade-oriented mural by artist Tom Merriam, and the reception/registration setup allows for a convenient traffic flow. Outside, there is a large parking lot, and full accessibility for handicapped patients and transport vehicles. With the new building up and running and the old one already sold, what next for the Belgrade Regional Health Center and the committee who has been so dedicated to making the vision a reality? "We're already in a what next mode," states Bill. 'We've started a strategic planning process and are deciding what to do with the endowment." As for Bill himself, "My (photography) business is three years old, my son is six, and my grass is three feet tall," he points out, and he hopes to focus more on all three. Questions? Call | ||