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Health Clinics With Sliding-Scale Fee Model Open Tuesday in Avery and Watauga Counties

31e1da0f942152301043f6dc07ce8167By Jesse Wood

Jan. 21, 2013. Located in both Avery and Watauga counties, High Country Community Health opens on Tuesday, Jan. 22.

The newly funded community health center will provide dental and medical care for patients of all ages on a sliding-scale fee model.

According to its website, “HCCH offers all services based on a sliding fee scale based on income for anyone regardless of ability to pay. We also gladly accept Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurances.”

The opening of the clinic was in part made possible with federal dollars secured by the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust in Winston-Salem.

“The mission of High Country Community Health is to provide comprehensive and cultsurally sensitive primary care services that may include dental, mental, obstetrical, and substance abuse services to the medically underserved population of Avery and Watauga Counties and the surrounding rural communities,” according to the nonprofit’s mission statement.

It will also focus on prevention, treatment and disease management. Along with typical primary care, it also provides OB care for women, behavioral health care, health education and more.

In addition to being a community health clinic, High Country Community Health Clinic is also a Migrant Health Center, where by it has interpreters on staff to meet needs of Spanish speaking patients.

High Country Community Health has two locations – one in Avery County and one in Watauga County.

The Watauga location at 125 Poplar Grove Connector in Boone within the Watauga County Health Department is a permanent location, while the Avery County location at 545 Schultz Circle in Newland, located within the Avery County Health Department will move to a permanent location outside of the local health department after one year.

The clinics are open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with some extended hours and a “24/7 nurse answering service for patient needs outside of normal operating hours.”

To make an appointment, call 828-264-6635 for Watauga or 828-733-6031 for Avery.

For more information, click to http://highcountrycommunityhealth.com.