B. Health Services Inventory

This section is intended to provide a brief overview of health services and facilities located in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties. More specific information on the utilization of these facilities is provided in Section VI, Utilization of Services. Table 5.5 provides an inventory of available health services in the two counties while Tables 5.6, on the following pages, provides information on the scope of these services.

Hospitals: There is one acute care hospital in Del Norte County and five acute care hospitals in Humboldt County. Between them there are 364 available licensed beds. These include:

• Sutter Coast Hospitals (Crescent City) - licensed for 47 beds
• Mad River Community Hospital (Arcata) - licensed for 78 beds
• General Hospital (Eureka) - licensed for 84 beds
• St. Joseph’s Hospital (Eureka) - licensed for 92 beds
• Redwood Memorial Hospital (Fortuna) - licensed for 47 beds
• Southern Humboldt Community Hospital (Garberville) - licensed for 18 beds

The ratio of beds to 1,000 population in Humboldt/Del Norte, combined, as shown in Table 5.7, on page 44, is approximately one-third less than the state ratio of 3.2 acute care hospital beds per 1,000 population. However, when the ratios are calculated by county, the Del Norte ratio falls to less than one-half of the state ratio, while the Humboldt County ratio rises. There is also one inpatient psychiatric facility, Semper Virnes Psychiatric Health Facility, which is owned by the County of Humboldt. It is licensed for 16 beds.

Licensed Long-Term Care Facilities: Long-term care facilities provide medical care to patients not requiring the acute level of care provided by a hospital yet requiring ongoing monitoring not available at home. Nine long-term care facilities were identified in the two county region, of which one is a new intermediate (14 day) facility at Sutter Coast Hospital and the others have long-term skilled beds. These facilities are located in the communities of Crescent City, Eureka, Fortuna and Garberville. Together, they have a combined total of 659 beds. The ratio of nursing home beds to 1,000 population over the age of 65 is shown in Table 5.8, on page 43. Compared to the California and U.S. ratios for the same population, Humboldt/Del Norte has the same ratio of beds to population as found in California and fewer beds than the U.S. ratio.

Although Humboldt/Del Norte hospital beds per 1,000 are 78% of beds per 1,000 for the State of California. This is not an indicator of need or access. With the shift from inpatient to outpatient care, hospital beds per 1,000 requirements are declining. The more important indicator for appropriate hospital utilization is hospital days per 1,000 population. For 0-65 years of age, bed days per 1,000 population for optimal managed care is 150 bed days. For greater than 65 years old, the optimal bed days per 1,000 under managed care would be 800¹³. The combined Senior and 0-65 population bed days per 1,000 in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties is currently 1,015 per 1,000.

Ambulatory Care Clinics: Community Health Centers: Traditionally, community clinics provide primary care and preventive care to patients who face economic, cultural or linguistic barriers to obtaining appropriate and sensitively provided health services. They tend to grow up in a community in response to specifically identified needs without regard to a patient’s ability to pay. In Humboldt and Del Norte Counties, a total of ten community-based clinics were identified. Nine provide primary care services and one, Six Rivers Planned Parenthood, provides family planning, women’s health and abortion services. The scope of services provided by each clinic is summarized in Table 5.6. Six of the community clinics are licensed by the State. By being licensed, clinics are eligible to receive MediCal reimbursement for services. These clinics include:

• Del Norte Community Health - Crescent City
• Humboldt Open Door Clinic - Arcata
• North Country Clinic - Arcata
• Eureka Community Clinic - Eureka
• Six Rivers Planned Parenthood - Eureka
• Redwood Rural Health - Redway

Two of the clinics serve primarily the Native American population in the region. These include:

• United Indian Health - Trinidad
• Hoopa Health Association - Hoopa

Finally, there are two community clinics that are associated with area hospitals. These include:

• Burre Clinic (General Hospital) - Eureka
• Southern Humboldt Community Clinic (Southern Humboldt Community Hospital) - Garberville

To gain a better understanding of the role these clinics service in the community, information on the annual number of patients and patient visits (encounters) was gathered. Information from the licensed clinics was obtained from the Annual Report of Licensed Clinics, 1995 (OSHPD). Other clinic information was gathered by a telephone survey and definition of encounter may not be consistent.

The community clinics play a central role in providing access to health care services to the low-income population in the Humboldt/Del Norte region. (Table S.5.8-1 below, shows the number of patients and visits to each community clinic.) 1990 Census data identified approximately 55,500 residents in the region who fall below 200% of the federal poverty level. While not all the approximately 49,000 patients seen annually in the community clinics necessarily fall below this poverty level, it is assumed that because of the availability of sliding fee schedules, many do access these well-established clinics for their health care needs.

S.5.8-2: 95-210 Clinics in Humboldt/ Del Norte Counties

Organization Address City Zip Del Norte County Sutter Coast Health Center 785 E. Washington Blvd. Crescent City 95531 Humboldt County Willow Creek/Six Rivers Medical Clinic P.O. Box 1045 Willow Creek 95573 Willow Creek Family Medical Group 480 Highway 95 Willow Creek 95573 Southern Trinity Health Services Star Route Box 155A Bridgeville 95526 Southern Humboldt Community Clinic 509 Elm Street Garberville 95542 Shelter Cove Community Clinic 9126 Shelter Cove Road Whitethorn 35589 Redwoods Rural Health Center, Inc. 100 Westcoast Road Redway 95560 Redwoods Rural Health Center 313 5th Street Alderpoint 95511 Redwood Pediatric Medical Group 3305 Renner Drive Fortuna 95540 Redwood Family Practice 2350 Buhne, Ste. A Eureka 95501 Philip Olkin, M.D./C. Ray, M.D. 3302 Renner Drive Fortuna 95540 Mobile Medical Office 2320 1st Street McKinsleyville 95521 Mobile Medical Office 2322 Golf Course Road Bayside 95524 McKinleyville Family Practice 1735 Central Avenue McKinleyville 95521 Humboldt Medical Group 528 Washington Ferndale 95536 Humboldt Medical Group 3306 Renner Drive Fortuna 95540 Health Care Medical Associates 2192 Central Avenue McKinleyville 95519 Health Care Medical Associates 2787 Harris Street Eureka 95503 Fortuna Family Medical Group 874 Main Street Fortuna 95440 Eureka Pediatrics 2800 Harris Street Eureka 95501 Eureka Pediatrics 2192 Central Ave., Ste. A McKinleyville 95521 Bridgeville Health Clinic 38717 Kneelard Road Bridgeville 95526

* Hospital and Private Practice designated Rural Health Clinics under Federal Public Law 95-210, allows for Medicare and Medicaid cost based reimbursement up to a capped amount per visit. An RHC is required to have at least a 0.5 FTE midlevel practitioner working in the practice. Source: Rural Health Policy Council, OSHPD.

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