News & Events
Western Sierra Medical Clinic Serves Homeless at Hospitality House
It was 39 degrees outside on the first Monday in December, but it was warm inside the St. Canice Center in Nevada City, where 25 to 30 of Nevada County's homeless were settled in to stay for the night.
Rattling coughs echoed around the room, and registered nurse Jerusha Horlick met individually with those who had put their names on the list.
“We see a lot of coughs and flu this time of year because they all sleep near each other in the rotating church shelters,” Horlick said. “We usually see about 15 patients every Monday night. There are the regulars, but there are new ones all the time.”
Once a patient has been screened by Horlick, he or she walks outside and into a mobile medical van provided by the nonprofit Western Sierra Medical Clinic, which has brick-and-mortar community health clinics in Grass Valley — known as Miners Family Health Clinic — and Downieville. Their mission is to provide preventive, primary and urgent care to all community members, regardless of their ability to pay.
Inside the van on this particular Monday was nurse practitioner Susan Clayton, who is one of a rotating volunteer staff that includes three local doctors, one nurse practitioner and five physician assistants.
For returning patients, Clayton is able to pull up a file and provide follow-up care. Has your bronchitis gone away? Did you take all the medication we gave you? Are your feet still bothering you?
Western Sierra Medical Clinic in the News
December, 2011: WSMC Food Bank Accepting Non-Perishables
December 13, 2011: WSMC Mobile Homeless Clinic
October 12, 2011: New Communications and Development Director Hired
April 12, 2011: Pertussis: No shot, no school
February 15, 2011: Joining together to reduce chronic disease and its impact
January 11, 2011: Dr. Sarah Woerner: “So much joy”
August 10, 2010: Dental Care: Clinic caters to children, low-income families
July 27, 2010: Care Fair gathers health groups under one roof
