Bassett Family Practice Helps Make Quality Health Care Accessible to All
clinics, health care, nonprofit,
In January 2008, Martinsville and Henry County residents welcomed the arrival of Bassett Family Practice, a primary care clinic that aims to provide quality medical care to all individuals in the county, regardless of their income level or whether they have insurance. Patients are charged for services on a sliding-fee scale, making quality health care accessible to everyone.
“This is a community health center mainly funded by a federal grant as well as state and local charitable foundations, and about 50 percent of the patients that we see are uninsured,” says Barbara Jackman, executive director of the Martinsville-Henry County Coalition for Health and Wellness, which oversees Bassett Family Practice. “The other 50 percent of patients might be on Medicaid or Medicare but are struggling to meet the co-pays for office visits and prescriptions. We help in any way that we can.”
Jackman says the nonprofit clinic is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and Tuesdays also feature extended evening hours. Its medical staff is made up of two primary care physicians and a nurse practitioner.
“We also have some staff members who are called patient navigators,” she says. “Their duties vary greatly. They might help a patient sign up for Medicaid if they qualify, or tell a patient where they can pick up their medications. The navigators assist patients in maneuvering through the many diverse aspects of the health-care system.”
As for additional doctors, Jackman says Bassett Family Practice is currently trying to recruit more to the clinic.
“However, there is a shortage of primary care physicians nationwide to begin with, so recruiting more individuals to a rural area such as Bassett can really be difficult these days,” she says. “That’s why we only have the one site, and there are no plans right now for additional locations. Instead, our immediate hope is to add more clinical staff workers so that, ultimately, we can extend our hours.”
Jackman says the clinic is not technically affiliated with Martinsville Memorial Hospital, but the two health-care providers have formed partnerships on certain initiatives.
“For example, our clinic works in conjunction with the hospital to make sure that applicable women are able to get mammograms, and we are also allowed to utilize the laboratory services at Martinsville Memorial,” she says. “The hospital and clinic also host health education classes and fitness programs. Martinsville Memorial is very helpful to what we do.”
Jackman adds that Bassett Family Practice is always busy, so patients are asked to make appointments whenever possible. The phone number is (276) 629-1076.
“We are located in Bassett in a small shopping mall behind Stanley Furniture,” she says. “As I mentioned before, our doors are open to everyone – no matter what.”
Story by Kevin Litwin
