(Wheeler, OR): Rinehart Clinic’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce its decision to change the name of Rinehart Clinic to Nehalem Bay Health Center & Pharmacy.
The board began discussions about a name change after a strategic planning session early in 2020, during which the board and staff discussed aspirations for the future of Rinehart Clinic. The idea of a name change has come up several times since the clinic’s former Medical Director, Dr. Harry Rinehart, retired in 2015. The board’s vision was to select a name that describes the clinic’s place in the community – not only the services it provides (health care and pharmacy), but also its physical location – in the hopes of drawing new patients and customers who may not be familiar with the Rinehart Clinic & Pharmacy.
To help guide the discussion, a community survey was conducted earlier this year to obtain feedback from staff, patients, customers, donors, and other community members. The Board of Directors appreciates everyone who took the time to respond. The board members gave careful consideration to all of the opinions provided in making their final decision.
“Our goal is to build on the clinic’s foundational principles of providing compassionate, quality care to all who need it. As we become known throughout the region as the Nehalem Bay Health Center & Pharmacy, the other board members and I envision this new name as an opportunity to reach even more people with our integrated health care services,” explained Paul Erlebach, President of the Rinehart Clinic Board of Directors.
The Rinehart Clinic has a long legacy of providing compassionate, innovative care for the people of North Tillamook County and beyond. The clinic would not exist if not for Dr. Harry Rinehart and the generations of the Rinehart family doctors before him who set the stage for the type of compassionate community care Rinehart Clinic delivers. The new name is a nod to the history of the Rinehart Clinic; when Dr. Rinehart originally opened his own practice in 1994 at the current location, it was named Nehalem Bay Medical Clinic.
Rinehart Clinic was granted 501(c)(3) non-profit status in 1996 and in 2008, it became a Federally Qualified Health Center, which provides for the clinic to receive federal funding as a community health center offering offer primary care services in an underserved area.
The 2020 strategic planning session that resulted in the name change also prompted an update to the clinic’s mission and vision statements. The Rinehart Clinic Board of Directors recently adopted the following to serve as the clinic’s guiding principles:
Mission: Delivering compassionate team-based health care and wellness education to improve the lives of ALL in our community.
Vision: A community in which all people achieve their full potential for health and well-being across their life span.
The transition from Rinehart Clinic to Nehalem Bay Health Center & Pharmacy will take place over the next year.
Rinehart Clinic Board of Directors: Paul Erlebach, President, Patricia Johnson, Vice President, Keri Scott, Secretary, David Boone, Treasurer
Dianne Bloom, Melissa Brewster, Jerry Spegman, Camy VonSeggern, and Gerald Wineinger
About Rinehart Clinic: The Rinehart Clinic is a non-profit Federally Qualified Health Center located in North Tillamook County that provides high-quality, personalized team-based health care for everyone in the community, regardless of their health conditions or financial circumstances.