Clinic shows off new look, services at open house

The Northwest Community Health Center in Libby has undergone a dramatic transition in recent months. The clinic recently added more than 10,000 square feet of usable space, including a new pharmacy, which is scheduled to open during the next few months.

Representatives from the clinic were on hand Saturday morning during a public open house to show off the redesigned and remodeled space.

The reception area and waiting room have been completely remodeled, with additional space added. Executive director Maria Clemons said the additional space doesn’t provide a great deal of additional patient seating, but with a partition between the reception desks and the seating area it does allow for a greater level of patient privacy during visits, she said.

The clinic now boasts 22 examination rooms and two procedure rooms. The procedure rooms enable providers to conduct cardiac stress tests, minor outpatient procedures and a number of women’s health procedures. The clinic also offers full prenatal and obstetrical care.

The clinic provides a full literacy program for child patients. At each well-child check, the patients are given books in hopes of sparking an interest in reading and improving overall literacy.

Northwest also offers full behavioral health services, Clemons said. There is a full-time clinical psychologist on staff as well as two licensed clinical social workers. The remodel has created a new group meeting room, which enables the behavioral health providers to conduct group therapy sessions on the premises. The group meeting room is also used for outside behavioral health programs, such as tobacco and alcohol cessation programs.

Clemons also pointed out new office space for the clinic’s certified counselors. The counselors assist clinic patients with a number of programs, including the Women and Infant Children program the clinic took over when the county discontinued it about a year and a half ago.

The counselors also help patients navigate the world of health insurance and benefits. They work with patients to find appropriate insurance plans through the national marketplace or the new Medicaid expansion, depending upon their financial situation.

The clinic also has a fully staffed and equipped dental facility, offering digital x-rays, fillings, extractions, sealing and some crowns and root canal procedures. Clemons said the dental clinic does a large amount of community outreach, especially in the schools and at the senior centers in south Lincoln County.

Northwest Community Health Center is overseen by a 10-member board of directors, at least three of which are required to be patients of the facility. Currently, Clemons said, eight of the directors are clinic patients.