Use Intermountain Connect Care®
Get care for low-level urgent conditions through a video chat with a provider, 24/7, on your computer or mobile device.
Learn More.
Learn More.
LOGAN, Utah – An ongoing difficult economy combined with the onset of cold and flu season mean patient volumes and the need for medical volunteers are up at Cache Valley Community Health Clinic, which provides free limited medical care for community residents who don’t have health insurance. Clinic services are provided by volunteers and much of the funding comes through local donations.
Rotary Club of Logan, in honor of Merrill C. Daines, M.D.’s 60th anniversary in Rotary, is responding with a $500 challenge grant and a call for physicians and other medical professionals to volunteer to serve patients at the clinic. Donations for the Cache Valley Community Health Clinic are accepted through Logan Regional Hospital Foundation.
Last year, Cache Valley Community Health Clinic served 2,659 patients, up 3 percent from 2010 volumes of 2,591. Volumes for 2012 have increased again by about 5 percent from 2011, according to Breck Rushton, Logan Regional Hospital Emergency Services director and director of the Cache Valley Community Health Clinic. The increase in patient volumes puts a strain on supplies and equipment. In 2011, volunteer physicians, nurses, dentists, translators and other support staff donated approximately 2,000 hours to the clinic. A part-time manager and physician assistant (PA) are the only paid employees.
“The clinic allows our uninsured community neighbors to get healthcare services they need without draining their limited resources,” said Rushton. “Without free care provided at the clinic, many of these patients might wait until they were sicker to seek care. The clinic can’t function without the volunteer physicians and others who provide this important care. We greatly appreciate their service.”
Troy Oldham, Logan Regional Hospital executive director, notes the role Merrill Daines has played in supporting the clinic. “Dr. Daines was instrumental in establishing the Cache Valley Community Health Clinic in 1992,” said Oldham. “He and his late wife, Betty, set a great example of volunteer service at the clinic over the years and created a legacy of giving. The Rotary Club's donation in Dr. Daines' name is symbolic of their mission to give back to the community."
Donations to the Cache Valley Community Health Clinic through Logan Regional Hospital Foundation can be made at www.loganhospitalfoundation.org or by calling (435) 716-5415.
Cache Valley Community Health Clinic, 272 ½ North Main in Logan, is open Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 6 p.m. and is located at 272 ½ North Main in Logan. No appointment is necessary. Patients are served on a first-come basis. For clinic information, call (435) 752-1360 on Tuesday and Thursday evenings or (435) 716-5410 weekdays during business hours.
Volumes and needs are up at Cache Valley Community Health Clinic, which serves community residents without health insurance; Logan Rotary Club responds with $500 challenge grant and a call for physician volunteers