PART THREE: Availability a major piece of rural healthcare puzzle

The goal to increase availability of healthcare options plays a major role in helping rural areas improve the well-being and quality of life for those residents, but the focus is going one step further.

While Arbor Family Health and other federally-qualified health centers work to make more services available, they are now working toward a facility that can offer multiple services, said Cindy Peavey, executive director for Arbor.

The growth goal includes making pharmaceuticals more available to those in rural areas through an internal pharmacy, which could help ease the burden residents face in rural areas.

It goes beyond that route. Arbor wants to expand the availability of services in a larger facility.

Arbor recently took its first step toward that plan with the purchase of the former Lucky Strike Bowling Alley on Hospital Road, which had been dormant for several years.

“Our goal is to build a bigger facility that can provide multiple services, a specialty clinic and extra space for collaborating groups,” Peavey said.

“One of the issues we have in town is being able to find rental property for early childhood collation, children’s advocacy and other offices.

“We’re also working with Lake Wellness for their drug program, so we partner with them to do the medical management,” Peavey said.

“We’re connected to them, and we have a Medication Assistance Therapy program, which helps people getting off whichever dependency drugs they’re on.

“With them, they do the initial treatment, but then they refer back to us for the monthly medication management.”

Three providers handle MAT therapy for substance abuse disorders. They operate in Maringouin, Livonia and New Roads.

The Maringouin facility offers behavioral health. That clinic in itself is an oasis for an area that has lost population and businesses over the past few decades.

But the town is more than 30 miles away from its parish seat of Plaquemine and nearly 20 miles from Port Allen, and approximately 20 miles to New Roads.

Arbor has contract services with pharmacies and has worked to get sliding scale discounts for its patients who use those facilities.

The goal of the new facility planned for the old Lucky Strike is to make it all inclusive. The goal also includes expansion of pediatric services.

“We want an all-inclusive building where we can incorporate all services,” Peavey said.

The project would not come to fruition for another two to five years.

Peavey also wants to expand services in the Maringouin area.

“There’s a five-year plan for the overall facilities and specialists, but there’s also a five-year plan for the population as well,” she said.

“I feel like there’s a ton of people who don’t realize or recognize they have medical care available at their door.

“There’s so much need in that Iberville side that is not tapped,” Peavey said. “We would like to partner with other clinics, and that’s the difference.

“You have FQHCs that are trying to meet the needs that are underserved,” she said.

“We need help with the clinics we have, and it would work on bringing on more services where we’re all at.”

Arbor’s grant renewal award last year came through the Bureau of Primary Care.

Coupled with another Rural Health Quality Award, Arbor will work with Xavier University to bring in clinical pharmacy personnel to patients and providers.

“It would bring the art of pharmacy to your fingertips, making sure you have the right medicine for the right disease and the right combinations,” Peavey said.

“It’s more intense, and we’re excited we will be able to enhance what we do for our patients.”

Next week: A deeper look into the need for preventive care.