“Shawna Barnett neglected her health care because she lacked insurance and convenient access to a clinic. “I quit going to the doctor basically because I don’t drive, and busing to Oak Harbor just takes too much time,” she said. With her busy schedule of caring for her two children and a job in a Freeland video store, the bus trip to the North Whidbey Community Clinic in Oak Harbor was just too much. “Something had to go, and it was my health.”Daniel Parrish of Clinton had similar problems with getting health care. “I can’t afford to drive my car to Oak Harbor, and the trip was taking me an hour and 20 minutes each way…it was hard to do, especially not feeling well,” Parrish said.Both will now be able to obtain health care at the new South Whidbey Community Clinic, the long awaited facility which Whidbey General Hospital has opened in Clinton to serve low and moderate income patients on the Southend.The clinic opened its doors in a part-time capacity on Sept. 15; it opened full time on Oct. 4, located in the Whidbey General South Building next to Lumbermen’s on Hwy. 525. It is open five days a week by appointment, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.The South Whidbey Community Clinic provides primary and family care for people without medical coverage from standard insurers. “Our mission is to take care of people who are not getting health care now,” said Dr. Fox. “We will provide medical care for people from cradle to grave, focusing on preventive health care by providing routine physicals and exams, well-child exams, immunizations, evaluation and treatment of general medical problems and referrals to specialists when necessary.” The clinic is staffed by Fox; Anne Blanchette, a certified physician’s assistant; clinic manager Peg Sullivan; and professional nurses and office staff.“We are fortunate to have Anne on our staff,” Fox said. “She comes to us with strong PA experience from Group Health in Seattle.”The clinic is open only by appointment and is not an emergency care facility, Fox emphasized.“We’re not equipped or staffed to be an urgent care facility. For instance, if someone is having a heart attack or is severely injured, call 911, because that’s what we would have to do if they came to the clinic,” Fox said. “We are providing ongoing primary care,” he emphasized. Both Fox and Blanchette live on Whidbey Island, and one of them will be on call after hours by telephone.“We will try to solve the problem on the telephone, but if not we’ll recommend they go to the hospital,” Fox said. The clinic works with Whidbey Community Physicians based in Oak Harbor and Freeland for hospital admissions. Fees are charged on a sliding scale based on income. South Whidbey Community Clinic will bill the following insurance companies: Healthy Options and Basic Health Plan, if enrolled with Community Health Plan of Washington; North West Medical Bureau; Medicaid (Department of Social and Health Services coupons); Medicare; some private insurances (call clinic for information); and Tricare Standard. The clinic has been seeing three to six patients a day since it opened, but Fox expects that number to more than double, to about 20 a day. “We have been trying out our systems with a skeleton staff the last couple of weeks, to work out any problems and to perfect patient flow so that our patients won’t have to wait long for their appointments. We are ready now,” Fox said.Fox, who was hired by Whidbey General Hospital, has worked in the Seattle area for 25 years.“We were fortunate to be able to recruit Dr. Fox, who has both clinical experience and the positive patient interaction to fulfill this role,” said Scott Rhine, Whidbey General Hospital CEO.Fox was certified by the American Board of Family Practice in 1972 and recently recertified in 1996. He is a charter fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and was in the National Health Service from 1972 to 1974. He has been associate director of the Providence Family Practice Residency Program and medical director at Providence downtown. “One of the nice things about my job is, I take care of patients,” Fox said. “I love it.””