The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

Haxtun Health is always striving to provide the best quality healthcare for our community and that begins with offering an array of healthcare services at convenient, accessible times.

After listening to the needs of our community, the hours for the Haxtun Health Clinic and Pharmacy have recently been extended to include weekends and the Clinic team has added two new providers to increase availability to patients.

Tabitha Schanhals, Director of Clinic Services at Haxtun Health, said that with more providers and availability of appointments, patients can be seen sooner than ever before.

New hours at clinic, pharmacy

The Haxtun Health Clinic and Pharmacy are now open to patients on Saturdays. Patients can visit the clinic on Saturday for routine items such as medication refills, last-minute testing, physicals, new patient appointments, basic follow-ups, minor and major illnesses and urgent needs. Same-day visits are available.

“These changes will help those in our community who are not able to come during the week or want to avoid taking time off to come to a doctor’s appointment,” Schanhals said. With the Pharmacy now open on Saturdays, Schanhals said patients can fill their prescriptions locally on the weekends instead of having to drive to Sterling for urgent medications. The Pharmacy also offers OTC medications and supplies.

New Haxtun Health Clinic hours include Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with appointments scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Weekday appointments remain available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Haxtun Health Pharmacy hours now include Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Pharmacy is open weekday, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

New providers and

same-day appointments

Haxtun Health is growing to offer many on-staff providers who can assist patients immediately and locally. Dr. Trevin Cardon and Dr. Andrea Lewis were added to the Haxtun Health team to make healthcare more accessible.

Dr. Cardon will provide primary care services to patients on weekends, while Dr. Lewis will focus on primary care as well as women’s health such as pap smears, birth control consults, perimenopause, menopause counseling and more. She is also trained in Neuromuscular and Osteopathic Manipulation Medicine, which is a procedure that provides hands-on medicine to alleviate back pain and other musculoskeletal conditions. Both providers have appointments available and are starting in January. Get to know the new providers at HaxtunHealth.org and in upcoming editions the Herald.

Making your next visit a success

To make your next visit more efficient, keep record of an ongoing list of questions you have for your provider. Knowing what you need answered helps keep your appointment focused, ensures all your questions are answered and allows for less confusion about developing a plan moving forward.

“Ultimately, coming prepared gives your provider the best chance to provide you with excellent care that meets your expectations,” Schanhals said.

To prepare for your appointments, recommendations include:

• Arriving to the clinic 15 minutes before your appointment to start the check-in process.

• Bringing all information and cards for changes that need to be made to update your account.

• Bringing your copay, updated medication list and medical records, as needed.

Finally, when you schedule your appointment, be specific about what you need to discuss with your provider to ensure there is enough time scheduled to meet your needs. Inform the scheduler if you visited another facility since your last visit to allow the office enough time to receive your updated medical records before your appointment.

If you have any questions about accessible care at the Haxtun Health Clinic, please call (970) 774-6187 or go to haxtunhealth.org for more information.

Questions to bring

for your provider

Bring a list of detailed questions you want to address with your provider. In order to provide the best and complete care, make sure they are focused and direct. Healthy patients are proactive patients.

Question examples include:

• What is my part in taking care of myself?

• Why do I need this medication, treatment, etc.?

• What do I need to do for my follow-up appointment?