Marin Community Clinic, Novato

Optometry Clinic Administrator:George Lee, O.D.
Clinical Faculty Mentor: Dr. Charlie Ngo cngo@berkeley.edu, Isabel Kazemi ikazemi@berkeley.edu, Sarah Arneal sarah.arneal@berkeley.edu

Type of Practice: Community Health Center

OVERVIEW

The Marin Community Clinics (MMC), is a network of clinics in the greater Marin County area providing health care services to uninsured residents. There are several clinics that serve the community. Clinics are located in Greenbrae, Novato and San Rafael. The Marin Community Clinics, an independent nonprofit organization, has been in existence for over 40 years. The mission is “To improve the health of our patients and community by providing high quality, cost-effective, culturally sensitive, patient-centered health care.” Among the services provided to the Marin County residents include primary care, OB/GYN, pediatric, mental and dental. Vision care has been one of the health care services that typically have a great demand among community health clinics. Berkeley Optometry is pleased to have selected by the Marin Community Clinics to partner and establish their first vision care clinic effective October 2012. The vision care clinic will be located at the Novato clinic. The staff at MCC includes those proficient in most languages spoken in the neighborhoods it serves.

Transportation

From the University Eye Center, exit on Gayley Road to Hearst Ave. Take a left on Hearst to Oxford, then right on University Ave and follow University Avenue to Highway 80; merge on to 580W towards the Richmond/Sacramento. Continue on 580W crossing the bridge. Take US101, keeping left toward Eureka/Santa Rosa. Take the Rowland Blvd. exit. Turn left onto Rowland Blvd, turn right on Redwood Blvd. The clinic will be on your right. Parking will be provided.

Demographics

Mix of patients from pediatric to the elderly
Primarily Marin County residents
Large Hispanic and Caucasian population
Low income, county and Medi-Cal patients

Prerequisites

• 4th-year clinicians: satisfactory completion of 3rd-year clinics
• Please see Externships Documentation and Immunization Requirements page for additional requirements

Patient Services Provided

• Hours are from 8:00AM to 5:00PM
• Full-scope Optometry care, there will be no cosmetic contact lens fitting services at this time.
• Patients are scheduled every 45 minutes, approximately 12-16 patients per day.
  • In addition there will be add-on patients as requested by other health care providers during the day.
• All patient services are noted in MCC’s EMR system, Next Gen. Make use of all information in the record to familiarize you with the patient’s overall health condition and medications.

Equipment

Although exam room is fully equipped, clinicians may be asked to bring their own diagnostic equipment and lenses (highly recommended). Please remember to pick up your equipment at the end of the day as the center is not responsible for any equipment left behind. There are two exam rooms.

Educational Objectives

• Experience Optometry care within a multi-disciplinary health care setting.
• Opportunity to interact with other health care professionals
• Inter- and intra-clinical referral procedures and protocols
• Opportunity to work with diverse group of ethnicities, primary low-income
• Efficient assessment and evaluation of patient cases is expected
• Ability to manage, assess ocular manifestations of systemic diseases; treat ocular diseases within the scope of CA Optometry guidelines
• Expect ability to perform examinations efficiently in a fast-paced designed clinic

Resident/Student Responsibilities

• Provide care to a large volume of patients, minimum of 8-10 patients per day
• Seminar and case discussions
• Communicate with other health care providers
• Referrals to other health care providers
• Complete all referral/consultations request for each patient
• Complete all necessary examination services coding for billing
• Ability to work efficiently and cooperatively with attending OD, resident and students

Faculty Responsibilities

• Facilitates efficient patient flow among faculty, resident and student
• Provides direct patient care as necessary
• Facilitates appropriate inter or intra clinical referral/consultation
• Mentors resident and student in patient care
• Evaluates resident and student clinical performance
• Seminar, grand rounds and case discussions

Referrals

• Ophthalmology referrals are sent to community providers.

Miscellaneous

• There are lunch facilities outside as well as within the clinic facilities.