Learn Through Service - CWFMR Rural Program
Providers work in teams which include nursing, an integrated behavior health consultant and ancillary services. The clinic provides 15,500 visits annually and most patients come from the immediate community, but many others come regularly from remote areas in the county. Residents and faculty care for nearly 80 patients at Kittitas Valley Hospital.
Hands On Experience
CHCW-Ellensburg houses resident and student education space, faculty offices, and clinical space. The clinical area includes 18 exam rooms and one procedure room, integrated behavioral health services, as well as on-site pharmacy services. WIC, First Steps, and the Children with Special Healthcare Needs Program are located in an adjacent office.
Procedures performed on-site include: colposcopies, endometrial biopsies, IUD insertions, OB Ultrasounds, normal office surgical procedures and osteopathic manipulation therapy. Providers work in teams with nursing, an integrated behavior health consultant and ancillary services.
Residents learn to provide comprehensive and continuous ambulatory care in the family medicine clinic. The model for teaching is the “patient centered medical home model”. Each faculty and resident physician is responsible for the care of his/her panel of patients using a team based approach to care. The electronic medical record system, smart phones and access to on-line resources provide up-to-date information for providers. Our curriculum spans the breadth and depth of family medicine. Learning occurs in block rotations and longitudinal experiences. Our core faculty and community attendings teach in both clinic and hospital settings. Residents and faculty take care of their clinic patients requiring hospitalization at Kittitas Valley Healthcare, a top-100 ranked rural critical access hospital.
Safety Net Clinic
Community Health of Central Washington- Ellensburg is a freestanding 10,500 square foot facility is located 3 blocks from the rural critical access hospital. Community Health of Central Washington-Ellensburg Clinic is the only ‘safety net’ clinic serving Kittitas County and provides full spectrum family medicine including obstetrics to an underserved population. While most patients come from the immediate community, many others travel from remote areas of the county for clinic and hospital care.
As a Teaching Health Center, CHCW-E works collaboratively in the community with the Public Health Department, other health providers, local schools, and service organizations to address the needs of the community.
