A Message from Louis Ward, Chief Operating Officer, Regarding Access to Primary Care

We're really looking at this with a three-pronged effort. Clearly we know that there is a challenge with access to care and so we think that by providing additional space, additional Primary Care Providers, and of course partnering with Health Care Experts to look at efficiencies and look at standardizing procedures, I think that's going to be the the ticket to improving access here at Tahoe Forest Health System. We have a building we refer to as Gateway West building - we're looking at a 15,000 sq ft remodel of that building which will bring on an additional 25 new patient care rooms that will be for Primary Care servicing the Truckee and North Lake Tahoe communities. Just this year we brought on four primary care providers, we're excited to have them on the team and by the end of the year we'll actually bring on another three. They're really the gatekeepers of medicine and so the more primary care physicians we can bring on it will clearly have a positive impact on access to care really there at the primary care setting as well as downstream with Specialty Care providers.