Additional details are continuing to emerge regarding a new primary care health clinic in Highlands.
Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation Executive Director Robin Tindall and board chair Dr. Walter Clark laid out the planning process for the new Blue Ridge Community Health Center and explained how multiple organizations are working together to make it a reality.
“When we first got started as a foundation in 2019, we talked to residents of the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau and the first thing mentioned regarding healthcare was the lack of primary care,” Clark said. “There were town hall-style meetings, listening sessions, surveys, and they all pretty much led to the same conclusion – Highlands and Cashiers needed added primary care capacity.”
HCHF staff got to work trying to come up with a plan to add that capacity in a fiscally responsible way. The idea that emerged was to create a partnership with Blue Ridge Health and the Mountain Area Health Education Center to create a primary care clinic, which will include a teaching element, in Highlands.
“The clinic will have two doctors and at least one resident,” Clark said. “In order for the teaching aspect of the clinic to be possible there have to be two doctors on staff. We feel like taking advantage of MAHEC’s relationship with the University of North Carolina’s medical school will be a great opportunity for all parties involved.”
The process of recruiting two physicians to staff the clinic is already underway, but the timeline for when those hires will be made, and when the clinic will open, is fluid according to Clark.
“Bringing doctors to rural hospitals and rural clinics is not an easy task and that is why finding the right fit is so important as we get the clinic up and running,” Clark said. “Once we find the right doctors we feel like we can have the clinic operational in a very short time period.”
While a lease has not yet been signed, the new clinic could possibly take up residence inside the Woodruff Building on the campus of Highlands Cashiers Hospital. According to Clark, that location would be ideal to meet the overall healthcare needs of the community.
“The new clinic is not going to compete with the hospital, it’s going to enhance the services that the hospital offers,” Clark said. “And honestly, the clinic will likely direct patients to the hospital if they need additional services outside of primary care, such as X-rays, lab work, etc.”
The new clinic will also not take the place of the Community Care Clinic, located at Zachary Park, which sees patients on Tuesday and Thursday nights.
“We have been in contact with the leadership of the Community Care Clinic and they are aware of what we are trying to do,” Clark said. “The new clinic isn’t going to replace the Community Care Clinic because there are always going to be patients that need those services after traditional business hours.”
HCHF will provide the initial funding for the new clinic, with hopes that the operation will move towards self-sustainability in future years. The new clinic will see patients who have private insurance, Medicare and Medicaid as well as uninsured patients on a sliding fee scale.
The clinic will be managed by Blue Ridge Health, a nonprofit organization that currently operates 28 clinics across Western North Carolina.
“Partnering with both MAHEC and Blue Ridge Health creates some exciting new opportunities for the clinic and for patients seeking primary care in Highlands and Cashiers,” Tindall said. “Blue Ridge has been around for more than 50 years, they have an excellent reputation, and a lot of people are already familiar with the services that their clinics offer.”
HCHF was founded in 2019 following the sale of Mission Health to Hospital Corporation of America. The foundation is an independent non-profit organization with a mission of improving access to healthcare in Highlands and Cashiers. By funding the initial operating costs of the new primary care clinic, the foundation is taking a step towards more complete community healthcare coverage.
“Our entire goal is to get the clinic started, get them on the road to sustainability, and make the clinic a resource for the citizens of Highlands and Cashiers,” Tindall said. “We want to expand and enhance the healthcare options locally, and we feel like the primary care route is the best way to do that.”
For more information about the Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation, or the new primary care clinic, call 828-482-6510 or visit www.hchealthfnd.org.