Reprinted from the Health District's quarterly publication mailed to district residents (Summer 2003)

Given the economy, it’s no surprise that more people are seeking healthcare that’s affordable. At Salud Family Health Center, patient numbers are up 13 percent in the first three months of the year, compared to the same period last year.

“We’re seeing more and more people who have lost their health insurance,” says operations director Mary Cook.

Salud provides healthcare to Larimer County residents who are uninsured or underinsured and to migrant and seasonal workers.

Designated as a federally qualified health center, Salud receives federal funding, a special rate for Medicaid reimbursement and other benefits.

Northside Health Center and the Children’s Clinic became part of Salud in 2002. “Poudre Valley Health System felt that these two clinics were a better fit under a federally qualified community health center,” Cook explains.

Salud is next door to the Health District of Northern Larimer County building on Bristlecone Drive. While the two offer complementary health services, they are separate entities — Salud operating as a nonprofit and the Health District as a tax-funded agency.

At Salud, patients of all ages can receive medical care when they are ill or sick as well as physical exams, lab work, immunizations, pre- and postnatal care, minor surgery, and cancer screenings — all under one roof.

Salud operates both a family practice and a children’s clinic, which is specifically designed to meet the needs of children and adolescents. The medical staff is made up of three pediatricians, three family practitioners, one pediatric nurse practitioner, one family nurse practitioner and two social workers.

Not only do patients at Salud receive treatment when they’re sick, they’re also instructed on preventive medicine and how they can assume more control over their health. A person with diabetes, for example, can learn ways to manage the disease, and teens can hear about the risks associated with substance abuse and unprotected sex. Salud also provides family planning and gynecological services, school physicals, confidential visits, and pregnancy care and delivery.

Patients at the Fort Collins clinic receive high quality healthcare, says Cook.

Salud is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, which is like getting a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, explains Hartmann. “Our clinics have passed the same rigorous standards that hospitals have.”

Most of Salud’s employees are bilingual and receive regular training in cultural competency. With a better understanding of how family dynamics and culture can influence a patient’s health, and the promise of confidentiality, clinic workers can better communicate and establish trust with their patients.