Petaluma Health Center (PHC)

Contact Person: George K. Lee, OD, Chief of Community Clinics

Clinical Teaching Faculty: Patrick Clark, OD

Type of Practice: Community Health Center

Overview

The Petaluma Health Center (PHC) is a Federally Qualified Health Center with a network of clinics in the Sonoma County area ensuring health care for all residents. PHC has two major clinics, one at Petaluma and the other at Rohnert Park. PHC’s mission is “To provide high quality health care with access for all in Southern Sonoma County.” Services included are family practice, primary care, Women’s health, pediatric, mental health, dental, ophthalmology, optometry, urology, acupuncture, and other specialties. Optometric care is provided by a UCBSO-PHC partnership initiated May 2016. The optometry clinic is located at the Rohnert Park clinic with services Tuesday through Friday.

Driving

Hwy 80/580 towards Richmond; continue on 580 West across Richmond Bridge to Hwy 101 North. Exit 101 North at Exit 483, left on State Farm Drive. Total Distance from UCBSO approximately 49 miles. Driving time is approximately 60-75 minutes.

Demographics

Patients care demographics range from pediatric to elderly and are multi-cultural; many exams are done in Spanish and an interpreter is provided. Other languages (Farsi, Tagalog, etc.) are done via a commercial interpretive service. Most patients are enrolled in Medicare and/or Med-Cal.

Prerequisites

4th year clinicians: satisfactory completion of 3rd year clinics

Patient Services Provided

Primary Care Optometry is currently provided Tuesdays through Fridays (8:30 AM to 5:30PM). Full scope Optometric Care in a team ambulatory setting staffed with physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and family nurse practitioners. Most exams are comprehensive with dilated fundus examination accomplished the same day. Referrals are made to the ophthalmology clinic when appropriate or coordinated directly to retinal specialists, primary care physicians, etc. Currently, contact lens services are not provided nor are spectacles ordered on site. Patients are scheduled every 30-45 minutes with approximately 8-10 patients per day. All exams are recorded via eClinical Works (ECW) electronic medical records. ECW is robust and at the time of exam the patients full demographics, medications, allergies, healthy history, lab results, primary care encounter notes, etc. are available for review.

Equipment

The clinic has four rooms located in the primary care area of the clinic. A screening room serves as the initial encounter with the patient performing chief complaint, history, vitals, visual acuities, and auto refraction. The clinic has two exam rooms which are standard with slit lamp and either manual or automated phoropter with electronic projector. The clinic has an auxiliary testing room equipped with an auto refractor, Humphrey Visual Field, FDT, pachymeter, Tono-Pen and OCT. Exam rooms are ‘folded’ and measure 15 feet by 9 feet in area. Students must bring their own BIO, lenses, trial lenses, and diagnostic equipment. Students will be able to lock their room and secure their equipment. Students will be expected to utilize the OCT similar to what is done at Minor.

Educational Objectives

Practice Optometric care within a multi-disciplinary health care setting with the opportunity to interact with other health care professionals leveraging inter and intra clinical referral procedures and protocols. Work with diverse, multi-lingual patients. Efficient assessment, evaluation and differential diagnoses of patient cases is expected. Ability to assess, identify, and manage ocular conditions and treat all ocular diseases (particularly diabetic retinopathy) within the scope of California Optometry guidelines. Expect ability to perform examinations efficiently in a fast paced designed clinic.

Student Responsibilities

• Provide care to a large volume of patients, minimum of 8-10 patients per day.
• Seminar and case discussions.
• Communicate refer and follow-up with 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 and staff.

Faculty Responsibilities

• Facilitates efficient patient flow.
• Provide 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 the Petaluma Clinic. Ocular emergencies are referred to Eye Care Institute if on Medi-Cal or North Bay Eye if on private insurance. Retinal emergencies are sent to North Bay Vitreoretinal Consultants in Santa Rosa.

Miscellaneous Information

The clinic is conveniently located near many eating and shopping facilities. The clinic has two refrigerators with freezers to store lunch. In addition it has free coffee and tea. In the building there is a small deli offering coffee, donuts, pastries and sandwiches. Facilities within 5 min of the clinic include Raley’s, Safeway, Costco, Chipotle, Jimmy Johns, Thai House, Subway, Starbucks, Panera Bread, etc. Many ‘chores’ can be accomplished easily in the area such as car repair, dry cleaning, post office, etc.