County exploring ways to provide
health services for uninsured

Clark County Public Health is exploring community partnership options for creating an integrated primary care clinic at the Center for Community Health. The clinic would serve low-income, uninsured, underinsured, and underserved Clark County residents.

Access to health care is a significant issue in Clark County, where the percentage of adults without health care insurance doubled from 6 percent to 12 percent between 1996 and 2004, according to John Wiesman, director of Clark County Public Health.

“Improving access to health care is one of the key goals of our four-year strategic plan,” Wiesman said. “Creating a primary care clinic with community partners would give patients who lack adequate health care access to a full range of clinical services.”

To better address a range of patient problems, the clinic would integrate medical and behavioral health services, a core principle in the founding of the Center for Community Health. Wiesman said current discussions focus on a vision of integrated primary care with potential community partners and stakeholders, including health clinics, hospitals, community based organizations, and other agencies. The effort is intended to enhance and integrate with services already provided by other Center for Community Health partners.

Clark County Public Health will facilitate a six-month collaborative planning effort with community partners representing health care, behavioral health, education, and other disciplines.

A recommendation on whether to move forward with a partnership is expected by May 2007.

Daily Insider readers getting
massive dose of the weather

             Pat Timm

Starting today, readers of the Daily Insider need go no further than the link to Pat Timm’s Weather Blog, just above the Insider Blue-line directory, to get 24-hour live weather updates, forecasts, comments, pictures, and additional links to weather-related information.

Timm, a native of the Pacific Northwest, moved to Vancouver in 1975 and lives in Salmon Creek. He is a free-lance writer for The Columbian, where his weather column has been running for 16 years. He is writing a book on northwest weather.

Timm is a member of the American Meteorology Society, the Society of Professional Journalists, and Whidbey Island Writers Association. He is also an official weather spotter for the National Weather Service.

Timm’s Weather Blog is an absolute cornucopia of weather information, and it is live 24 hours a day.

Just another big, dumb mistake

Just as surely as there is an Autzen Stadium at The University of Oregon, there is an Austin Family Business program at Oregon State University. Don’t even try to figure out how the Insider made such a mess of yesterday’s story about the Excellence in Family Business Award won by Tom and Carol Keljo’s Security Sign Company. The award was made by the Austin Family Business Program at OSU. We wrongly called it the Autzen Family Business Program. The Stadium at OSU is Reeser Stadium, which is sold out for OSU-Oregon football Civil War set to begin at 12:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24. The game will be telecast on FSN.

Calendar

Port of Ridgefield commissioners meet in regular session at 6 p.m. this evening in port offices at 111 W Division Street. n Happy Thanksgiving! Friday, Nov. 24, is so called “Black Friday,” the day that retail business balance sheets are said to go from red to black. Holiday sales will abound, but not everyone will be at work. City and county offices will be closed Friday. The Daily Insider will not be published. However, banks and liquor stores will be open and the U.S. mail will be delivered. n Annual Festival of Trees opens 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 24, in the Hilton Vancouver Washington. Display of 50 decorated trees, plus wreaths, is augmented with live entertainment and holiday arts and crafts shopping. Hours are until 7 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 26. Adult admission is $5. The $125-per-person gala dinner and auction starts at 5 p.m. Saturday. n Vancouver’s community Christmas tree will be lighted at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24, in Esther Short Park. A concert by the Vancouver Pops Orchestra follows at 8 p.m. in the Hilton Vancouver Washington. The concert is free, but $5 donations will be accepted. n Herringbone, Arts Equity Onstage’s one-man musical, plays at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24, through Sunday, Nov. 26, in the Main Street Theatre, 606 Main Street. Tickets are $8 to $24. For further information, call 695-3770.

 

Wednesday headlines

Iconic twin spans of Interstate 5 bridgemay get extreme makeover in slightly altered location--Columbian, Don Hamilton

Seattle television station KIRO makes big deal out of Creager's Hummer--Columbian, Jonathan Nelson

Donor issues $100,000 challenge to Clark College Foundation--Columbian

Clark College presidential search likely won't begin until spring--Columbian, Howard Buck

No electric rate hikes seen for 2007--Columbian, Courtney Sherwood

U.N. says record 3,709 Iraqi civilians killed in October--USA TODAY, AP