Baxter Clinic Striving For Quality Care Despite Maintenance Needs

Officials at the Baxter Medical Clinic are continuing their efforts to provide quality care despite maintenance needs at the facility.

Practice Director Rick Bouchard said employees at the clinic are still meeting the needs of the patients despite the issues.

“We’re working around them. We’ve got some heating problems and some roofing problems. We’ve had them for awhile and we work around them,” Bouchard said. “Our whole purpose here is to take care of the people in the community. That’s why this clinic was set up [and] that’s why it’s been in existence for 20 years is to take care of the rural population.”

Clinic Board Director Sue Neal said improvements are needed but are also hard to come by for the nonprofit organization. The facility sees an estimated 4,000 patients and 5,000 office visits every year.

“It’s amazing how many patients we have from as many counties as we do.” Neal said. “They’re not just local, it’s amazing. In all the counties around us we have patients, and I think it’s because the cost is so much less that we draw from different areas.”

The current lease agreement with the city of Baxter once required the city to cover HVAC and roof repair costs. However, the lease was updated under former mayor Jef Wilhite to have the clinic cover all maintenance expenses.

Bouchard said he has received calls from concerned citizens over the future of the facility, asking whether the clinic will be forced to close.

“I will assure this entire community that this clinic is not closing,” Bouchard said. “We have got plans for the future to grow this place, make it bigger, better, and shinier. We’re working hard to do that. That’s our objective and that’s not going to change.”

Bouchard said a new medical facility in Baxter would be a great benefit to both the clinic and the community. But for now, the employees will make do with their current location on Broad Street.

“We talk quite a bit about ‘wouldn’t it be nice to have a new building, a building that is designed and built for healthcare’,” Bouchard said. “But our top priority is the 4,000 patients and the 5,000 office visits. The building is just a tool that we use to do that with the community.”

The 70-year-old building was once used as Baxter’s city hall and fire station. Items such as medical records, crutches, and office furniture are being kept in the old fire truck garage.