“Shorter wait times for getting an appointment and more time available with a patient during an appointment”

Bartja Wachtel is a social worker at Puget Sound Neighborhood Health Centers’ High Point Medical Clinic in West Seattle. His work is meaningful to him because he shares the clinic’s “primary value of social justice” and sees firsthand the progress of patients.

Previously, he worked for a children’s program through the Department of Social and Human Services (DSHS). A friend, and employee of PSNHC, told him about the health center’s commitment to a multi-disciplinary total-wellness program. Bartja pursued his employment with the clinic because he understood the great need to build relationships with patients. Providing quality care means that the provider understands all characteristics of the patient’s health.

Bartja realizes that the greatest obstacle facing their clinic’s ability to take in more patients and maintain high quality care is the need for increased funding As Bartja sees it, this is the key reason for the ongoing tension with providers and staff in building essential relationships with the patients and the number of patients that can be seen in a day. Increased funding would mean additional providers could be added, directly translating to improved patient-provider relationships, shorter wait times for getting an appointment and more time available with a patient during an appointment.

“Without additional funding, matters will get worse”

Dr. Marty Lieberman is the Dental Director for Puget Sound Neighborhood Health Centers, which operates five dental clinics.

Dr. Lieberman sees the burden of the dental care access shortage often. While there are other options for uninsured children, Georgetown Family Dental clinic is “the only show in town” for many uninsured adults. Because it is currently difficult to manage the volume of patients, he is afraid that without additional funding, matters will get worse.

Dr. Lieberman also makes it clear that there needs to be a different perspective on looking at medical and dental care. He points out that dental care often, and mistakenly takes the back seat to primary medical care. The patients that come to his clinics are not seeking cosmetic care, but treatment for injuries and diseases that effect their entire health and can prevent them from working.

“Committed to the idea that everyone should have access to affordable health care”

Dr. Theron Manson is the Assistant Dental Director of PSNHC’s Georgetown Dental Clinic. He values working for the health center because he is committed to the idea that everyone should have access to affordable health care.

He also held this value while in dental school, but was unsure about how he would pay off his loans. He worked at a private practice to pay off his student loans. He then learned about the State Loan Repayment and Scholarship Program, that he was eligible, and that he could pursue his goal of serving the underserved.

With loan repayment less of a concern, Dr. Manson has been able to continue providing necessary treatment in Georgetown for the last three years.

“Loan repayment will allow her to continue her service to her community”

Alix Anderson is a Registered Nurse and the Clinic Services Manager at the Seattle Indian Health Board (SIHB) located near Seattle’s International District. A member of the Oglala Sioux tribe, Alix grew up in Alaska, the daughter of a family doctor who continues to take care of Alaska Natives in Nome. The State Loan Repayment and Scholarship program is one reason she is able to serve Indian people at the SIHB.

“After my studies at the University of Washington School of Nursing, I had a great desire to serve my community” said Alexander, “but I also had quite a bit of debt from my education.” Without the State Loan Repayment and Scholarship Program, Alix would not have been able to accept a position where she could work with an underserved community because her family would have felt the financial impact of her earning significantly less money than what she could earn from doing private nursing.

When Alix enrolled as a provider in the Loan Repayment program, she says, “It was a huge relief for my family.” Even when she has finished her three-year commitment to the health center, the advantage she gained through loan repayment will allow her to continue to pay off her loans and continue her service to her community through SIHB.

In addition to being a Registered Nurse, Alix is the Clinic Services Manager at SIHB. She says that for the past two years, they have been recruiting for a provider. ”Many new doctors are like me, in debt after completing their education. Many would like to work in an agency like the SIHB, but money is important when you are right out of school. The Loan Repayment and Scholarship program can be a real help in recruiting new doctors and nurses,” states Alexander.

“The growing need for dental care and the lack of capacity to provide that care”

Debbie Ulfeng is the Client Services Representative for Sea Mar Community Health Center’s Medical & Dental Clinic in Tacoma. She reports that one of the great difficulties in her clinic is a shortage of providers — a shortage that often causes patients to spend all day waiting in line to see a doctor or dentist. Getting an appointment is also challenging as it frequently takes a month to schedule a visit, making access difficult when chronic or acute conditions require treatment.

Debbie remembers one particular patient who tried to get in to see a dentist for several days and ended up pulling out his own tooth because he could not wait any longer for an appointment. This is unfortunate, but stories like this are happening because of the growing need for dental care and the lack of capacity to provide that care.

“What it is like to live thinking that there is nowhere to turn”

Michelle Gates is the Medical Records Lead with Sea Mar’s Medical and Dental Clinic in Marysville. As much as anyone, Michelle knows the benefits that health centers provide for a community.

After spending ten years as a stay-at-home mom, Michelle found herself looking for a job, and in particular one that would provide health insurance. Without many options, she went to the state for help. At the time, she needed some kind of work done on every tooth in her mouth. She began looking for a dental clinic but found there were only two in Snohomish County that took DSHS coupons — and they were booked out for almost a year. Then she learned that Sea Mar would be opening a clinic in Marysville. She was on the phone before the clinic was open for business and after a few months her teeth were fixed.

Understanding very well what it is like to live thinking that there is nowhere to turn, Michelle is now committed to working to providing care for others in need.

“Any help would be a lot of help”

Dr. Marilyn Rodriguez has been working at the Sea Mar dental clinic in Vancouver since 2003. She began seeing patients just one to two days a week but soon went to full-time due to the high demand for dentists. Soon she learned from her clinic manager that a program existed to help her afford to serve the community and pay off her student loans called the Washington Health Professional Loan Repayment and Scholarship Program.

She has remained with the Vancouver clinic because she is able to do more education with patients to prevent further health problems. She also feels that the clinic treats patients with great compassion.

Due to the lack of access to dental care, Dr. Rodriguez has seen many patients delay their dental visits until they have tooth infections. By then they must be sent to a hospital for expensive, yet preventable, treatment.

When Dr. Rodriguez is asked what kind of impact a $10 million statewide grant would have for her clinic she says that any help would be a lot of help.

“Treating patients who have been previously turned away”

Dr. Doug Felts is a family physician and Chief Medical Officer of the Peninsula Community Health Services. He chooses to serve at a community health clinic because he believes that access to health care is the right of every human being.

Dr. Felts has seen firsthand the consequences of serious medical needs that go untreated because patients were denied access elsewhere. More and more often, he is treating patients who have been previously turned away from the treatment they need because of their uninsured status or ineligibility for assistance.

A few weeks ago, Dr. Felts saw a patient, a young woman, who was recently stricken with seizures. The cost for the necessary prescription is equivalent to half of her income. In order to cover the cost of the prescription, she now faces the difficult decision of living far below the poverty line or quitting her job to become eligible for assistance.

Dr. Felts has traveled extensively as a missionary providing medical service in Peru, Honduras and Mexico. He also feels there is a lot of work to be done here to meet the access shortage.