For 29-year-old Chris Anderson of Acton, a recent visit to Samuel Dixon Family Health Centers, Inc.’s (SDFHC) Canyon Country Health Center was a fortunate stroke of luck. Anderson had recently lost his job, and paying for health insurance on his own became unaffordable. He went to the Canyon Country Health Center to be checked for strep throat.
“If they weren’t there, I would have had to go to the emergency room and I would have had to pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars,” Anderson said. “It’s great that they are here to help keep people well. Now that I am feeling better, I can go to school and look for work.”
Anderson’s situation is not unique. In an economy in which many people are losing their jobs and/or their health insurance, finding somewhere to turn for affordable health care services becomes increasingly important.
SDFHC operates three health centers in the Santa Clarita Valley—Canyon Country Health Center, Val Verde Health Center and Newhall Health Center—as well as outreach sites at College of the Canyons and California Institute of the Arts. SDFHC offers a full range of health care services—physicals, immunizations and vaccines, screenings and diagnostic tests, well baby care, and family planning—to those who may not seek health care elsewhere. Patients pay based on their income. This past year, SDFHC provided service for 8,000 patient visits.
According to executive director Cheryl Laymon, traditionally more than 90 percent of SDFHC patients are employed. This appears to be changing in the current economy. Most patients do not have health insurance or do not have enough health insurance to cover their medical needs.
Patient volume has been increasing at SDFHC’s three health centers. In December 2008, there was an increase of 32 percent in patients seen; in February 2009 there was an increase of 25 percent in actual encounters and March will likely have an increase of another 25 percent. “With the current economic climate, it looks as though there is a trend developing for increased demand,” Laymon said.
Val Verde resident Susan Parker, 44, became unemployed as of December 31, 2008 and does not have health insurance. She had been feeling sick since February and went to the Val Verde Health Center in March upon the recommendation of a friend.
“The provider I saw was very thorough and very knowledgeable,” Parker said. “I was very impressed with the care I received and the cost was very reasonable.”
Michael Gales, PA, noted that the recent increase in the number of patients seen is “a combination of getting out the word that we provide great health care for a reasonable fee and the economy creating a greater number of uninsured as people lose their jobs.
“Our centers’ quality is exemplified by our relationship with both USC and UCLA Family Medicine programs as a teaching site,” Gales added. SDFHC also serves as a training site for USC graduate students in the field of social work.
SDFHC strives to be accessible by offering affordable, extended and weekend hours at three geographically convenient locations throughout the Santa Clarita Valley. SDFHC’s new Newhall Health Center location, which opened in spring of this year, includes five exam rooms (including two larger rooms for treatment such as prenatal care), two dental operatories and an office for counseling sessions. For the first time, affordable dental services will be provided for SDFHC patients. The health center is located in the Stagecoach Plaza. All services continue to be available on a sliding fee schedule.
