Bay Clinic

Overview

Bay Clinic, Inc. (BC) operates four Community Health Center site on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, an island the size of Connecticut, with a population of about 149,000.  Founded as a women’s health clinic in 1983, Bay Clinic has been providing primary care since 1991.  Hilo, the county seat and population center (42,204) located on the east side of the island, is home to BC’s main clinic. Pāhoa Family Health Center (PFHC) is located 20 miles southwest of Hilo in the Puna District.  Puna is twice the size of O‘ahu, but has only 31,000 residents.  Rural in character, much of the area is without paved roads, electricity, running water or telephone services.  Ka‘ū Family Health Center lies at the southernmost tip of the island in Nā‘ālehu, 65 miles from Hilo.  Its patients are generally agricultural workers and their families.  Kea‘au Family Health Center is the newest addition to the Bay Clinic family.  It offers the only medical/dental facility on the island.

Services

Bay Clinic’s full services include family practice, family planning, internal medicine, pediatrics, well and sick child care, treatment of illnesses and injuries, STD screening and treatment, immunizations, breast and cervical cancer screenings, health education and counseling, and mental health.  Sixty percent of Bay Clinic’s patients require case management services.

Special Populations and Health Issues

Native Hawaiians; migrants from the Freely Associated States; Hispanic laborers; geographically remote communities.  Diabetes, hypertension, and heart and lung diseases are prevalent.  Asthma and other respiratory conditions are common on an island with an active volcano.  Substance abuse, mental illness, and domestic violence are major concerns.

Patient Profile for 2006

• Ethnic groups served (top 3): Caucasian (43%), Native Hawaiian (27%), Asian (14%)
• Unduplicated Patients: 14,380
• Patient Visits: 41,154
  • 19 years of age and under: 26 %
  • 65 years of age or older: 8%
• Female: 57%
• Uninsured: 28%
• Medicaid: 42%
• Medicare: 10%
• Patients best served in a language other than English: <1%
• Patients with an income less than 200% of Federal Poverty Level (FPL): 69%

Staffing

Bay Clinic’s six sites have physicians specializing in family practice and internal medicine, a psychologist, physician assistants and nurse practitioners, a nutritionist, nurses, case managers, and health educators, as well as National Health Service Corps (NHSC) physicians; and one NHHCS dentist. 

Federal Funding

Bay Clinic is the grantee or subcontractor for:

• 330(e) Grantee
• Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program
• Family Planning
• Maternal and Child Health Services
• Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• Rural Health Outreach
• WIC
• Telemedicine Curriculum Research
• VISTA Project Support

Federal Designations

• Native Hawaiian Health Care Center
• Hilo—MUP, Dental HPSA
• Puna—MUP, Primary Care HPSA, Dental HPSA, and Mental Health HPSA
• Ka‘ū—MUP, Primary Care HPSA, Dental HPSA, and Mental Health HPSA