This is not your parents’ clinic.
There are wooden shelves holding books and board games such as Mancala, Trivial Pursuit and Jumanji at the Vancouver Clinic at Vancouver Plaza.
It’s all part of a modern approach to health care by Vancouver Clinic, which is partnering with Humana at this location. The idea is that you can come to receive treatment but won’t want to leave immediately after.
The clinic, at 7809 N.E. Vancouver Plaza Drive, saw its first patient Tuesday, and is currently providing care on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It will expand care to all weekdays in early February once a second doctor joins the staff.
Health education classes, individual and group counseling, exercise classes, group activities and wellness presentations will be available through the clinic. Mark Mantei, Vancouver Clinic CEO, said patients will be encouraged to take the games and books off the shelf for fun.
“The facility itself is built for people being able to address other needs beyond medical,” Mantei explained. “The exercise classes, the nutrition classes, the ability to just hang out and make a friend, it’s huge.”
It’s something that Humana Market President for the Intermountain Region Catherine Field calls “‘Cheers’ for health care,” referring to the TV sitcom.
“People know your name, and they want you to come and you’re not a bother,” Field said. “I think as we age, we end up feeling like we’re kind of a bother to a lot of people.”
The clinic will serve anyone older than 18, although its focus will likely be on people who need a higher level of support, and those who are older. The clinic will accept the same commercial insurances as Vancouver Clinic, along with Humana Medicare Advantage and Humana dual-eligible patients, Mantei said. The building is about 10,000 square feet and has eight exam rooms and two counseling rooms. There will be a social services worker on-site.
“Understanding how to maneuver the health care system is really challenging,” Field said. “So when you can put it all in one location — social service agencies and nonclinical support — you’re really going to make a lot stronger or quicker advances in improving people’s health and well-being.”
Since Humana and Vancouver Clinic are collaborating, Field said, they can help inform each other of needed changes. If Vancouver Clinic feels like a co-pay is too high and a roadblock to treatment, they can work with Humana.
“We can make sure folks get the behavioral health care they need and that finances is not a barrier,” Field said.
Mantei added that his mother, who’s in assisted living, has her best days when she’s able to socialize. The clinic’s all-in-one approach is also a way to focus more on preventative and population care, said Sharon Crowell, an internal medicine doctor and chairman of the Vancouver Clinic board.
“Right now people who need more support have a really hard time finding it, and where they end up too often is in the emergency room,” Crowell said. “The problem with that is the emergency room is designed to treat emergencies, so the people don’t get the care they need, they don’t leave with the support they need and it’s a vicious, expensive circle. We want to break that cycle and give people the support and the care they need in one spot.”
