The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

The Mosaic Medical Mobile Community Clinic is returning to Sisters. They are now seeing patients at Ponderosa Heights Apartments, every Tuesday evening, 6-8 p.m.

“We are very excited to be bringing the van back out to Sisters,” said Mobile Outreach Coordinator Nancy Russell North.

Previously, the van came to the Kiwanis Food Bank from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursdays, but lack of sufficient patients resulted in cancellation of the van. It is believed that evening hours for the van at the new affordable apartments will prove more convenient for patients.

“We will be located at Ponderosa Heights in conjunction with our partnership with HousingWorks. We are very excited that this location is close to the woods where many of the homeless currently camp. We are also excited to be offering evening hours,” said North.

Mosaic’s Mobile Community Clinic is a full-service primary care clinic offering medical services to those in the community experiencing barriers to traditional healthcare. They can provide nearly all care that is provided in a brick-and-mortar building, including blood work.

Services available include family care, pediatrics, women’s health, medication assistance (help qualifying patients get brand-name medication for a reduced cost), and coordination of specialty care to connect patients to all the services they need, including dental help,

The team includes community health-workers who help with connecting patients to community resources: transportation services to appointments/treatment; inpatient and outpatient detox and treatment facilities; chemical-dependency counseling; pain management; behavioral health; homeless shelters; transitional residential programs; and housing locations.

The clinic offers reduced rates based on a sliding scale for those without insurance or who are under-insured. Program participation is income-dependent and an application is required to determine eligibility.

“We see all patients regardless of insurance status or life circumstances. Nobody will ever be turned away because of inability to pay,” said North.

They accept most private or commercial insurance and can bill most insurances. They are also able to assist with Oregon Health Plan signups or re-enrollment.

“We do not schedule appointments on the Mobile Community Clinic, so patients can just walk in and are served on a first-come, first-served basis,” North said.

Mosaic Medical welcomes all races, religions, countries of origin, languages, genders, abilities, and sexual orientations.

Ponderosa Heights Apartments are located at 601 N. Brooks Camp Rd., on the corner of Brooks Camp and McKinney Butte roads. For more information, call 541-383-3005. Please call or check website (www.mosaicmedical.org) for updated scheduling information if Tuesday is a

holiday.