BISBEE — The Cochise County Health Department and Chiricahua Community Health Centers may be partnering to bring a higher level of health care to underserved county residents.In a work session Tuesday afternoon, Ginger Ryan, chief executive officer of CCHC, met with the Board of Supervisors and Vaira Harik, director of the county Health Department, and presented an offer that would put physicians and medical professionals at county satellite offices on days the facilities were not in use.

Ryan said bailout funds could be used to build new clinics in areas that are underserved in the county, such as the Bowie/San Simon area or Mustang Corners in Whetstone. But sites for new clinics have not been identified.

“There are no services for those communities that have low populations. The Health Department has unused examination rooms on the days the facilities are closed,” Ryan said. “This is a resource left vacant.”

Harik said the county’s exam rooms do stay “vacant for the most part.”

Ryan offered to rent the facilities from the county and explained the services provided by Chiricahua Community Health Centers would not be in competition with other medical centers. “We strive to serve a population that no one else does,” added Mike Holland, a Chiricahua Community Health Centers board member. “No one else provides care for special needs children. We get into niches that others don’t.”

Since Chiricahua Community Health Centers is mostly funded through federal grants, it is able to provide medical care for the uninsured and migrants. CCHC has received nearly $12 million from federal grants over the past three years.

According to Ryan, Chiricahua Community Health Centers has contributed $57.6 million over the past 12 years to Cochise County’s economy. The figure comes from a study recently performed by the National Center for Rural Health Works at Oklahoma State University.

“The study shows that for each job created by CCHC, an additional 0.60 jobs are created throughout our area due to business and household spending,” Ryan said. “Annually, that spending amounts to $6,537,836. (The study) shows that each dollar generated directly creates a secondary effect on spending.”

Ryan also explained the ongoing relationship between CCHC and the county Health Department in delivering free children’s vaccines.

The state cut the children’s vaccination fund from $10.4 million to $5.4 million in 2008-2009. This created a big problem for communities who relied on the state to provide vaccines free of charge to qualifying children.

While the funding does cover the required vaccines for such children, it does not cover the recommended vaccines of pneumococcal conjugate, pneumococcal polysaccharide, rotavirus, human papilloma and hepatitis A. As a federally qualified health center, CCHC was able to deputize the Health Department so it could acquire the needed vaccines through a federal funding program, Vaccine For Children.

“We’re very appreciative of CCHC for offering us assistance,” Harik said. “It shows there’s a level of cooperation. We are not the only county that has been deputized. Other counties are doing it, too.”

Supervisor Richard Searle wants to meet with Benson and Willcox health officials and get their input on the idea of sharing facilities.

Supervisors Pat Call and Ann English expressed interest, but said they would wait to see if it’s feasible.

“Our position is to take a look at the idea for a future presentation to the Board of Supervisors,” Harik said. “I have to look at the pro and cons of such an agreement and then talk with the board. In a general sense, they are seeking a closer collaboration with the county.”

• Cochise County: http://cochise.az.gov/

• Chiricahua Community Health Centers: http://www.cchci.org/