General Frequently Asked Questions
Click on each question to link down to the answers.
1. How can I contact you and what if it is not during office hours?
2. Do I need an appointment or can I just walk in?
3. Is the clinic only for people without health insurance?
4. Are you a free clinic?
5. Do you provide free medications?
6. Do you only see Hispanic patients?
7. Do you see pregnant women?
8. Do you see children?
9. What are health promoters?
Answers
1. How can I contact you and what if it is not during office hours?
You can reach us by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 541-386-6380 (Hood River) or 541-296-4610 (The Dalles). Between 7:00 am and 6:00 pm Monday through Friday and 8:00 am through 5:00 pm Saturday, a staff person from La Clínica will answer your call. When the office is closed, you will reach our answering service, who will take a message for us, or page the doctor on call for a more urgent matter.
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2. Do I need an appointment or can I just walk in?
We prefer that you phone or stop in earlier to make an appointment. If you have a condition that needs same day attention, and walk into our clinic, we will do our best to see you that day. However, you may wait a long time until one of our doctors is available. If we are really busy with lots of sick patients that day, we may not be able to see you at all. So, it is better if you can make an appointment in advance.
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3. Is the clinic only for people without health insurance?
We are a community health center, serving the medical and dental needs of all types of people in our community. We will certainly see people who have no health insurance, and we can work out a payment plan for the bill. We also take almost all types of medical insurance, including Medicaid and Medicare.
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4. Are you a free clinic?
No. We ask all patients to contribute something to the cost of their care. However, we are very happy to accommodate your family’s financial needs. We discount all our services based on your family size and ability to pay. We also can set up payment plans so that you can take as long as you need to pay your bill.
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5. Do you provide free medications?
No, but we have an excellent program to help patients get the medications they need for only $10 each. The program is called MAP (Medication Assistance Program). Patients can meet with the program coordinator, who contacts the company that makes the medication and arranges for 3 months of pills to be sent to the clinic for free. We charge $10 per medicine for this service.
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6. Do you only see Hispanic patients?
We were founded to serve the special needs of the thousands of migrant and seasonal farmworkers in our area. However, our commitment is to the whole community, and we will see anyone who needs our services. Right now, about half our patients are Hispanic and half are Anglo.
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7. Do you see pregnant women?
Yes, we have always seen pregnant women at our Hood River site, and we will be starting obstetric services at our site in The Dalles very soon. Our doctors can attend your delivery at the hospital. We also have a Perinatal program, which is a support program for all women who are seeing us for their pregnancy. The health promoters in that program help to make sure you get the prenatal care you need. They can help you understand all the symptoms of pregnancy, and they teach our childbirth classes. They are a great support after the baby is born, and are experts at helping women with breastfeeding.
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8. Do you see children?
Yes, we see all ages from birth to death. We have a pediatrician on staff, but all of our providers see children for sick visits and well child check-ups. We offer vaccinations at our Hood River site, and we will soon be offering them at our site in The Dalles.
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9. What are health promoters?
Health promoters are community members that have been recruited as employees because of their connection to and knowledge of the community we are trying to reach. They have a strong desire to serve people. We provide them with extensive training about various health conditions and counseling skills. The health promoters work with patients (under the supervision of a nurse-manager)to provide health education and to help patients get the care they need. La Clínica has been recognized nationally for its excellent health promotion programs, and many other clinics have used us as a model.
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