POULSBO — Peninsula Community Health Services is expanding its North Kitsap presence, adding three medical providers in a newly housed clinic.
PCHS opens its renovated 9,180-square-foot office May 1: It includes 11 exam rooms, onsite pharmaceutical options, clinical and administrative stations and a conference room, according to a PCHS press release.
The new digs are a welcome change from the organization’s former office, which held only six exam rooms and sustained water damage from the December 2007 flood. PCHS has been planning its Poulsbo expansion for three years, said community relations director Deborah Horn.
PCHS is a community-based, nonprofit designed to provide low-cost health care to low-income, uninsured and under-served Kitsap families. The organization was founded in 1987.
In 2008, PCHS saw 17,465 unduplicated patients, for a total of 53,032 medical, dental and mental health visits, said PCHS Chief Executive Officer Barbara Malich. PCHS also operates out of Bremerton and Port Orchard.
Horn said of those served in 2008, 20 percent were uninsured. That number is growing, she added, with the rise in unemployment.
Along with its new surroundings, the clinic has added three additional care providers to its roster, making available a medical doctor, a doctor of osteopathic medicine and three certified physician’s assistants.
Poulsbo primary services include acute and episodic care, routine physicals, immunizations, newborn and well-child care, women’s health care, chronic disease care, cancer screening, family planning and pregnancy testing, health education and community referrals for specialty care, according to the release.
At PCHS, patients are charged according to a sliding fee scale based on their income. According to its Web site, PCHS is also supported by a variety of funding sources including federal, state, local and private grants, the local United Way and community and individual contributions.
PCHS’s expansion comes amidst others of its kind in the Poulsbo area. Earlier this spring, The Doctors Clinic opened a new urgent care facility in Poulsbo with five physicians and X-ray and laboratory services onsite. That clinic is located at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Iverson Road.
Harrison Medical Center is also coming to Poulsbo, after purchasing land from the city this year to build a $25 million facility including an urgent and primary care clinic and a 15,000-square-foot cancer care center along State Route 305.
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Peninsula Community Health Services in Poulsbo is now located at 19917 7th Avenue, Suite 205 in Poulsbo. Services include primary medical care, dental care, mental health counseling, pharmacy services, and health education and promotion activities. New patients are welcome. To schedule an appointment, call (360) 779-1963. For more information, visit www.pchsweb.org.
