13 Laurel Internal Medicine, Laurel Pediatric Clinic, Laurel Family Practice, Laurel Vista and NIDO operate in Salinas. One Bienestar clinic serves Salinas too, with another Bienestar location in Marina, alongside the Monterey County Clinic at Marina. The flagship Seaside Family Health Center still serves patients, as it approaches its 30th birthday. Clinics provide outpatient services for patients of any age, meeting needs as diverse as OB GYN visits to youth hearing and vision screenings, and adult primary and preventative care. Another aspect of the Clinic Services Bureau’s mission includes supportive services to help remove barriers for patients, providing transportation assistance and widespread health advocacy services. Clinic Services also employs California Rural Legal Assistance attorneys to help patients with their legal challenges around complex issues like immigration and housing. “It’s unique and expresses the mission that we have,” said Shinde. Clinic Services continues to add outpatient services to its clinics, including plans for mobile clinics and oral health and dentistry services. The bureau is “exploring the possibility” of opening its 11th clinic in North Salinas with additional capacity and expedited care services to help meet increasing demand, Shinde said. “Value-based healthcare” may be another new frontier for Clinic Services. This alternative payment model incentivizes providers to deliver results for patients to receive payment, instead of billing per visit. This long-term effort began with Medi-Cal patients in the 2010s. All of these initiatives together reinforce the significance of Clinic Services in Monterey County, said Shinde. “Quality, affordable, and equitable access to primary care provides the biggest impact to achieving overall county health.” Quality, affordable, and equitable access to primary care provides the biggest impact to achieving overall county health. – Prashant Shinde, Clinic Services Bureau Chief Late 1980s Debbie Weschler, RN, MPH is hired as the first epidemiologist for the MCHD 1986 On September 2, the first paramedic ambulance based in Monterey County was placed on the Monterey Peninsula
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