Family Support Center relocating to Haskell St.

Winnemucca's Family Support Center (FSC) will be moving several blocks from its current location at the north end of Bridge Street into the modular medical office building on the corner of Haskell and Bridge Streets owned by Humboldt General Hospital. HGH installed the modular building to house physicians during remodeling and additional construction at the hospital.

Now that the construction of the main hospital building is largely completed, the modular building is being used by only one physician, Dr. Chet Stringham, who has announced his intention to move in the near future. In addition, the main hospital has four open clinic spaces available for use by future full-time medical providers, as well as providers who come into Winnemucca on a scheduled basis to provide medical services.

Hospital board members discussed the proposed FSC lease agreement at their Sept. 26 board meeting. Two members of the board were not involved in the discussion or vote, as they have connections to FSC that could raise questions of conflict of interest. Board member Jennifer Hood is a counselor who works with FSC and Board member Michelle Miller was not involved, as Miller Law has clients who receive services through FSC.

The remaining board members were in favor of a decision to lease the former medical office building to FSC, with the exception of Richard Cook. Cook said he had nothing against the idea - that the concept was great, but that he felt the lease amount that was being proposed was too low. Cook asked how acting administrator Darlene Bryan and Counsel Kent Maher had arrived at the proposed amount. Maher explained that when FSC had approached the hospital about the possibility of leasing the building, FSC had offered the amount they were able to pay.

FSC is a private non-profit agency that relies chiefly on grant funding. In existence since February of 2016, FSC was opened to provide mental health counseling, crisis response, parenting support programs, family therapy, substance abuse counseling and group treatment services. The center seeks to serve everyone who walks through its doors, according to its mission statement.

"Mental health services in our town are absolutely dismal," said Board member Bill Hammargren. "As a district hospital, I think there are times when we have to step up to the plate and say we need to help out some of our community organizations." Speaking of FSC, Hammargren said, "This is a great community organization; they offer a wonderful service, a much needed service and I know they can't afford to pay $2 a square foot. I absolutely have no issue with the hospital stepping up for the next three years and giving them a hand up so maybe we can get this program going and get it going strong. This is a service this community definitely needs."

The proposed three-year lease amount begins at $3,500 a month, or $42,000 for the first year. Years two and three go up 3 percent each year. After three years, the lease will be open to re-negotiation. If the hospital should have need of the building before the lease is up, there is an escape clause that allows the hospital to terminate the lease on only two months' notice.

Board Chair JoAnn Casalez said the escape clause allowed the board to continue to put HGH front and center, "At the current time, the hospital does not have a need for the building," she said, adding, of the proposed lease to FSC, "This is filling a gap of mental health services. The three year time frame allows the FSC to establish sustainability."

Humboldt County Commission's representative on the board, Ken Tipton, gave his reason for supporting the proposed lease, saying, "I'm looking at an opportunity to help FSC get their feet on the ground and go forward."

Cook voted no, saying he felt that, at the very least, the question should be tabled until the new CEO was in place. But with approval from Hammargren, Tipton and Casalez, the lease proposal passed.

"We, at the Family Support Center are so excited to have this opportunity to be on the medical campus," said FSC Executive Director Carrie Stringham. "We believe it will benefit our clients and the community as a whole as we continue to expand the services we offer for Humboldt County and the surrounding counties."

Stringham said the center will plan on moving late in November and to open at the new facility by Dec. 1. "We are just really so excited, this is a really big thing for us," she said.

Doctor Leonard Perkinson thanked the board for approving the lease to FSC.

"One of the leading reasons people visit us, and our most frequent users are here for mental health, because of depression, anxiety and other issues. Most of these patients do not have any access. They have no help, they fill our E.R. they fill our clinic and most of our time is spent helping them. Not that we don't want to help but we're not the right place to be doing that," Perkinson clarified.

Perkinson said there have been several efforts in town to offer mental health services - but all of them have pulled out because it's not profitable. "They can't keep the doors open. As a member of this community and a healthcare provider, I thank you for taking a leap of faith."

Perkinson expressed his hope that the services available at FSC will be able to positively affect Humboldt County's suicide rate, the community's crime rate and every aspect of life.

"That costs money," he stated. "It takes a lot."

Perkinson said the decision by the majority of the board to allow FSC to rent the space for less than the premium per-square-foot cost showed the board's commitment to health care and to the community.

Disclosure: Joyce Sheen is on the FSC Board.