Healthcare project defines local need

A group of healthcare providers, community activists and town
leaders are moving ahead with an organized effort to improve access
to healthcare for Windsor residents.
The Windsor Healthcare Assessment Project, led by Ray Holley and
Lynn Woznicki has been talking to members of the Windsor community
to understand what healthcare options are available in Windsor,
where the system can be improved and how to best communicate with
Windsor residents about healthcare issues.
They found that Windsor is severely lacking in access to doctors
due in part to the total absence of any full time, private practice
doctors within Windsor’s boundaries. The report found Windsor
residents had good access to dental services and could capitalize
on it’s compound pharmacy as a healthcare related form of economic
development.
According to their research, gaps in Windsor’s healthcare
options include a lack of vision care, specialists, problems with
insurance and issues regarding Windsor’s relationship to regional
healthcare providers.
At the October 18 meeting, project organizers presented 14
recommendations for improving access to health care in Windsor and
opened the floor to suggestions from the community.
Gary Quackenbush, CEO of the Windsor Chamber of Commerce
suggested converting some of Windsor’s empty retail space into a
hub for visiting doctors to practice on a part time basis and
facilitating access by providing free transit to healthcare sites.
“Why can’t we get circuit riding doctors who are specialists to
come here a couple of days a week?” he said.
Councilwoman Cheryl Scholar said the meeting reminded her of the
reasons she ran for council, to help foster collaboration between
the town and other agencies. “I really wanted to see the schools
and the Town work closer together on community issues,” she said.
“There needs to be something that brings us together and I’m seeing
an opportunity certainly in having conversations about the needs of
healthcare in this community. I’m very intrigued by that and
hopeful that it could be a big thing that we go after.”
Several speakers spoke in favor of additional education outreach
efforts in schools, libraries and public places that would empower
Windsor residents to take more control of their health.
Bill Esselsteinof, president of the Healdsburg District Hospital
Board of Directors said Windsor could benefit from opening a
dialogue with towns like Cloverdale that are facing similar
problems recruiting doctors. “They are talking about the use of
redevelopment funds and other kinds of resources of that type to
facilitate healthcare in their community,” he said. “It could be
useful for Windsor folks to talk to the Cloverdale folks.”
In their presentation, the authors recommended Windsor hold more
health fairs, focus on preventative measures, work to secure a
voice in regional healthcare organizations and deepen community
partnerships to promote local healthcare solutions.
The next step for the project will be to form a community
committee possibly led by Scholar to help move the goals
forward.
Full text of their recommendations and more information about
the project is available online at www.windsorhealth.org. The
project is under the direction of Alliance Medical Center, which
has offices in Windsor and Healdsburg. It is funded by a generous
grant from the Sonoma County Medical Association Alliance
Foundation.