Expanded Health Center to Offer Expanded Services

Jay Barrett/KMXT

The addition to the Kodiak Community Health Center is just a couple months away from being complete, and with it will come expanded services. Executive Director Brenda Friend spoke at the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce lunch yesterday.

— (Health 1 38 sec "We are growing rapidly … a lot more costly.")

Friend said that the target clientele is not exactly who people think of:

— (Health 2 30 sec "When you think of the … for your employees.")

She said those costs continue to rise at a faster rate than wages:

— (Health 3 40 sec "Annual health coverage … that employees are feeling.")

Friend says about three-quarters of the staff at the Community Health Center is fluent in a second language, including Tagalog (T’goll-egg) and Spanish. She says the center is open seven days a week, including some evenings. Friend says even though the clinic is attached to the borough-owned Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center building, it is not affiliated with the hospital, even though they enjoy a good relationship with it.

She said the recent community health needs study showed 38-percent of people get their primary care in the PKIMC emergency room:

— (Health 4 50 sec "That’s a pretty significant … actually helping them.")

The clinic has same-day appointments available each morning, and also offers well-child and well-woman care, immunizations and family planning.

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