OAKHURST — Camarena Health is on track to open its new urgent care clinic in Oakhurst “in mid-to-late August,” according to the organization’s CEO.
“We aren’t exactly sure of what our hours will be, but we plan to be open in the evenings and on weekends to assure that the community has access to immediate care during the days and hours that it’s most difficult to access,” says Paulo Soares, Camarena’s chief executive officer.
Camarena is currently in the process of remodeling the old Sierra Star building on Road 426 and will open the new urgent care clinic there when the renovation work is complete. Soares says Camarena is still finalizing the new urgent care’s hours of operation, staff and menu of additional services, including X-rays.
Camarena accepts all types of insurance, including Medi-Cal and Medicare — and as a federally funded community health center, must treat all patients, regardless of their ability to pay.
The Madera-based organization, which operates only in Madera County, currently has 12 clinics and offers primary care medical, behavioral and dental services in Oakhurst, Coarsegold, Madera and Chowchilla.
Mobile health/dental unit to debut in October
This fall, Camarena is planning to debut a new mobile clinic that will be traveling throughout rural Madera County providing medical, dental and behavioral health care to low-income families.
The project, funded by a $550,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente, will begin in October, says CEO Soares.
The new mobile unit also will provide health education and insurance enrollment services.
“We know there is limited access to health care in rural Madera County and we wanted to make sure there was a way for families to receive these much-needed services,” says Wade Nogy, Kaiser Permanente Fresno senior vice president and area manager.
“Camarena Health is a trusted health care provider in Madera County and we are excited to partner with them,” Nogy adds.
The mobile clinic will travel to rural and isolated areas of Madera County where families struggle to access health care due to geography and limited transportation services.
As many as 1,800 low-income adults and 1,200 elementary and middle school students are expected to receive services from the mobile unit.
“We appreciate Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to increasing access to health care by providing this mobile clinic,” Soares says. “This will help us bring these much-needed health care services to our most vulnerable families.”
