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Benton County community health centers report HRSA visit, PPS rate approval and Monroe Clinic funding gap
Summary
County health center leaders told commissioners they received final PPS rate approval, posted strong clinic attestation results, completed NEPA and an RFP for Monroe Clinic architecture, and still face an estimated $750,000 capital gap for the Monroe Clinic project.
During the same briefing, county community health center staff summarized operations, staffing and capital projects and reported a formal HRSA operational site visit is scheduled for Sept. 11.
Health center staff said Benton County'operated clinics reached Patient-Centered Primary Care Home (PCPCH) tier 5 status for multiple sites, and the Health Services Building and Lincoln Health Center also received the state's new health-equity designation after meeting criteria related to access, language services and equity-driven data collection. Staff described tier 5 as reflecting coordinated interdisciplinary care teams and documentation practices.
Christine Mosebaugh was introduced as the interim primary care division director (work-out-of-class), effective in August. Staff also reported that Ahmed Zabari, the prior health finance officer, resigned in June; Debbie Sessions is serving as interim health finance officer while the county initiates recruitment.
The health center hired a new dentist, Dr. Tara Bobble, who began in June, and staff said they are onboarding additional clinic personnel to expand capacity.
On capital projects, staff said they completed NEPA and environmental surveys for the Monroe Health Center and have selected an architecture firm (Clark Cojos) after an RFP process. They said the Monroe Clinic project total is approximately $3,000,000 and reported a remaining funding gap of about $750,000. Staff said they are pursuing federal funding possibilities, including an outstanding request to Senator Jeff Merkley's office and potential conversations with IHN about capital support; they also said the county is in a position to fund the gap internally if external funds are not secured.
Staff reported they received final state approval of a new PPS (Prospective Payment System) rate after an 18-month effort and that the health centers ended the fiscal year with a positive ending balance "for the first time in nearly a decade," pending final close of the books.
Commissioners asked questions about HRSA site-visit staffing and whether HRSA reviewers are federal staff or technical consultants; staff said the visit will include Bureau of Primary Health Care staff and contractual technical consultants who regularly perform site reviews.
Staff asked commissioners to consider signing a public comment template on proposed federal rule changes affecting community health centers (see separate briefing on federal legislation). Commissioners asked to see the draft before any letter is submitted and agreed to consider adding the item to the next meeting agenda for approval.
