August 1, 1998
Clinic
5
Number of health care providers keeps growing
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Dr. Jim Molloy, HD
0zce hours: Weekdays (except for Wednesday), 8
a.m. to 5 p.m.
Originally from Texas, Dr. Molloy gave up his
10-year-old private practice in Sheridan to join the
clinic last September. The family practitioner says
the autonomy to make swift policy changes he lost
as a private physician is a bargain tradeoff for the
opportunity his new position gives him to work in
a well-equipped clinic that is "making progress ev
ery day." He notes," we have options here which
are not available in Sheridan."
Molloy encourages patients to help the clinic bet
ter serve their needs by setting appointments at the
first sign of illness instead of letting it develop into
a crisis requiring emergency care.
"I think a number of people out there do not ac
cess healthcare soon enough," Molloy says. "I'd
like to see more people take advantage of what's
available."
Dr. G. Shayne Tolivcr, MD
Office hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday,
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Dr. Toliver graduated from Oregon Health Sci
ences University in 1992 and worked at the Ur
gent Care Clinic in Longview, Washington before
joining the clinic in December. A native of Cali
fornia he says his family "goes back generations
in Oregon" and he enjoys living in Portland and
working both in Newberg, where he has a part
time private family practice, and Grand Ronde
where he says the new, well equipped clinic has
more to offer than most. ,
"I like the fact that we have a lot of resources
available for patients," says Toliver who admits
that in most facilities some patients don't have re
sources for medication, special equipment or al
ternative housing. "Here, at least they're aware
of it and make an effort to meet such needs."
Dr. Jerry Shecre, Optometrist
Office hours: Tuesday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
An almost 10-year veteran officer of the Public
Health Services' Commission Corps, Dr. Sheere's
weekly schedule also covers Chemawa Indian
Health Center in Salem and the Siletz Indian Res
ervation. Before taking on his busy Oregon sched
ule, he practiced optometry for 14 years at the
Blackfeet Reservation in his home state of Mon
tana. Sheere admits a challenge in meeting Grand
Ronde's needs with just one day a week but says
Optometry Assistant, Elaine Thomas shoulders a
lion's share of the burden by helping clients in his
absence.
Sheere encourages patients to set appointments
well in advance and to have an annual exam due to
the high rate of diabetes related eye disease among
Native Americans. He also reminds patients that
his office can also fill eyeglass and contact pre
scriptions written by other optometrists.
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Kathleen Marquart, PAC
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Office hours: two days per week call for times.
Marquart brings a wealth of experience in Indian
and Native women's health practice to Grand Ronde.
Before she left a two year stint at Portland's Kaiser
Permanente to join the clinic last October the Tlinget
Haida Native from Alaska worked on the Navajo res
ervation in Arizona, and the Rosebud reservation in
South Dakota. She has also provided women's health
care at an urban Indian clinic in Oklahoma and cur
rently works two days a week doing the same at the
Native American Rehabilitative Association (NARA)
health clinic in Portland, from where some of her
Grand Ronde patients already know her.
"Being an Indian person, I see a lot of our health
problems are acute when they could be preventative
instead," Marquart says. "I'm excited to work with
a program that's not just acute but preventative."
Lisa Clift, HT
(Medical Technologist)
Clift was hired last month to manage the clinic's
newly equipped laboratory. Before she left
McMinnville's Willamette Valley Medical Center
where she worked for two years, the Montana na
tive resided in Los Angeles, California.
"I'm very excited to work here, people are very
friendly and knowledgeable," Clift says. "We have
a lot of very nice equipment here that will make a
very comprehensive lab."
Thanks to the new state-of-the-art equipment
which she will use to analyze specimens ranging
from thyroid and liver products to urine and blood,
the clinic will no longer have to send specimens to
Salem and beyond for testing. Clift also says that
soon the clinic lab will apply for a state license al
lowing them to conduct high level testing for other
medical facilities in the area.
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Klathy Faber, FNP
(Family Nurse Practitioner)
Office hours: Monday - Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Faber began working in Intensive Care in 1984
and also brought her experience in public health
education to the Grand Ronde clinic last Septem
ber. Although she is a native of Pennsylvania, she
is a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences Univer
sity and has been a resident of this state for 12
years. Faber says what she likes most about work
ing in Grand Ronde is the diversity of her clients.
"I enjoy the variety of patients young and old;
both tribal and non-tribal members," says Faber.
"I enjoy being part of their life experiences."
Faber believes one way to improve patient expe
riences at the clinic is to use appointments over
walk-ins whenever possible.
Stories and photos by Oscar Johnson