Health Access In Humboldt

No, I'm not talking about health insurance, or lack of it. Well, I suppose that can have something to do with it since those on MediCal might have fewer options than those that have regular insurance or pay out of pocket. I'm referring to just being able to find a doctor for something.

I had to renew a prescription that runs out soon. I was going to what used to be the North Coast Family Practice. That practice went by the wayside but the shell of it continued under a new name. I won't mention their new name here. I will say it was a real pain to deal with them but it got better when I started seeing the Physician's Assistant there, rather than the doctor.

But they moved and they aren't listed in the phone book anymore. I vaguely knew where their new location was but decided maybe it was time to go elsewhere. I called Eureka Family Practice, where the old P.A. I used to see at North Coast Family Practice is now working. I tried to set up an appointment with him but was told the earliest I could see him would be in June(!?!). Maybe I should of asked if there was anybody there with a more open schedule?

All I needed was a prescription renewed so then I tried that Eureka Community Health Center I'd seen on Buhne Street. I was under the impression that was some kind of walk in facility.I drove by there and they told me they were closed to new patients.

Yikes! I thought that might be the last resort for the poorer folks around here like me. What to do?

I wasn't but a few blocks from the new location of the place I used to go so I drove by and, lo and behold, they actually had a sign visible from the street. It's probably the most run down building in the area, at least as far as the medical buildings go. The sign out front also had my old P.A.'s name listed among the staff. Cool. Maybe this won't be so bad, I thought, and I parked and went inside.

Nope. As is par for the course with this group, my P.A. no longer worked there. They just don't change their signs very often. The waiting room was as depressing as at it was at their last location and the signs on the walls telling everyone what they must and must not do while in the facility made me feel like walking out the door.

But I stuck with it and managed to make an appointment with their Nurse Practitioner, the name of whom escapes me now. The best part is the appointment is next Monday. Not bad compared to having to wait until June to see John Brimlow P.A.

Still, I find it almost scary how so many medical practices can't accept new patients and the only ones you seem to be able to access are the ones you'd rather not go to if you had the choice.

BTW; In trying to find a phone number for the medical practice I was using, I came upon this page that tells you a little about your doctor. It even lets you give doctor reviews. I gave mine one but in never showed up with the others he already had.