Rural Energy

Multi-million Dollar Loan Provided to Expand Health Care Access

Outline Of Need:

The community of North Logan had a need for a health clinic that meets not only the unique needs of local families but for the population of all of Cache County. In rural areas, income levels are generally low and such populations have limited access to good health care. Many families travel hours to reach different clinics that meet various health needs.

How Rural Development Helped:

USDA Rural Development, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, was able to provide a $2,100,000 loan to Bear Lake Community Health for the purchase of a new building to house the Cache Valley Community Health Center. The new building allows for extended health services, a larger patient population and more jobs.

The Results:

The need for the building itself was great. “There has been a need for better access to patient care and to serve a certain population within the community,” La Val Jensen, Executive Director for Bear Lake Community Health said, “It was critical to get a building that was adequate to handle the number of patients in the area we were seeing.”

The Cache Valley Community Health Center is a unique health care facility. It serves the uninsured, underinsured as well as insured patients. Low-income families are charged on a sliding fee scale, dependent on family size and income. This provision allows the clinic to offer their optimal care to those who are often underserved.

The clinic also offers multiple methods of care. The facility has an in-house, full-time pharmacy and offers full-time preventative and primary medical care. There is also a dental clinic and the clinic offers behavioral health services as well. Jensen calls it a “one-stop shop for primary medical care to meet the many needs of our patients.”

Jensen is grateful for the help Rural Development employees provided in securing the loan. He said, “We couldn’t have done it without USDA and the people we worked with—they were incredibly helpful.”

May 2012

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