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Clinic in Ashland seeks elbow room Photo by Bob Pennell Peg Crowley, executive director of the Community Health Center, shows off what will be the waiting area of the center's new Ashland clinic. The new facility, a former veterinary hospital, is much larger than the present Ashland clinic. Before growing, Community Health Center needs money By SUSAN JAY Health center plans fund-raiser ASHLAND -- The Community Health Center will hold a special "paint-a-square" fund-raiser from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 6, 20 and 27 at 112 Helman St. It's a chance for donors to leave their creative mark on the new health clinic. Participants pay $25 to paint a design within a square on the concrete floor, in honor of their family and friends. The squares will be hidden when the floor is covered, but a permanent list will display the names of those who painted squares. Those interested can purchase a "paint-a-square" coupon at Valley of the Rogue Bank branches, Ashland Community Hospital gift shop, the Ashland Community Health Center and at the new site. For more information, call 482-9741. ASHLAND -- After calling a two-bedroom bungalow home for more than 15 years, the Ashland Community Health Center plans to spread out into a new, seven-exam-room clinic on Helman Street. But to do that, the health center needs some help -- an estimated $225,000 worth. Today, the health center launches its capital fund-raising campaign for the general public. The center needs money to complete purchase of the building, finish renovation and start providing services. So far, the center's board has raised $652,745 out of the $877,745 needed. Of the contributions already raised, numerous Rogue Valley residents who belong to the Friends of the Community Health Center pitched in a hefty $300,000. Other large financial supporters include Ashland Community Hospital and the hospital foundation, the Collins Foundation, Oregon Community Foundation, Darex Corp. and the city of Ashland. Those interested in donating can drop off or mail contributions to the current clinic at 246 Fourth St., Ashland, OR 97520. For more information, call the Community Health Center office in Ashland at 482-9741 or the main office at 773-4563. The Community Health Center in Ashland is one of three in the Rogue Valley, operated by the same nonprofit group. The other two are in Medford and White City. The combined operating budget for all three is $1.3 million. The new Ashland site, a 4,800-square-foot former veterinary hospital, is at 112 Helman St., two blocks from Ashland's downtown plaza. For several years the health center on Fourth Street was open only two days a week. Then it expanded to five. Now, said Peg Crowley, executive director, "we are seeing the maximum number of patients we can." In the 1997-98 fiscal year, the Ashland center saw 1,526 individual patients and provided more than 3,200 medical visits out of the tiny house across from the Peerless Hotel. When the center's board first started to look into a larger building in 1997, members discovered that renting in Ashland would be expensive. They also realized that rents and building prices would just keep going up, so they decided to look for a building to buy if it was a good price, Crowley said. The building they found on Helman Street was a great opportunity at $257,229, which included closing costs. The board was able to pay $213,000 in contributions toward the purchase of the building, and has a private financing note for the balance. The new center is conveniently located, especially because more than half of its patients walk or ride bicycles to appointments, Crowley said. Many others ride the bus. The new clinic building also has three times the number of exam rooms and enough space to provide complementary health care programs, including the Women, Infants and Children program, more commonly known as WIC; Winterspring, which provides bereavement counseling; and other counseling services. The new building also has an education room for health presentations. A larger clinic also means more space for specialists, including cardiologists, who can volunteer to conduct special patient clinics. The health center's primary clients are people who work but who can't afford health insurance. Often they earn too much to qualify for the Oregon Health Plan, although the center also treats many Oregon Health Plan patients. It provides comprehensive health care through its nurse practitioners, part-time medical director and volunteer physicians. Patients are charged on a sliding scale, and usually pay at least 50 percent of the bill. The clinic makes up the rest through continuous fund-raising. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA