Fairfield Clinic begins new venture with clinic in Eldon

Fairfield Clinic PC is opening an outreach medical clinic July 10 in Eldon to better serve the needs of the town?s residents.

Fairfield Clinic spokeswoman Jolaine Coop said the clinic has leased the medical building at 602 W. Elm St. from the city of Eldon.

The building, along the town?s main strip, was previously the site of a clinic operated by the Ottumwa Regional Health Center, but it closed in January 2009 when its contract expired.

Eldon Mayor Shirley Stacey said the city began a two-year search for someone to re-open the medical clinic.

?Doctors don?t want to come to a small town,? she said. ?But hospitals are realizing they need to reach out.?

Coop said the Fairfield Clinic and the city of Eldon met in February to begin talks of re-opening the outreach clinic.

Currently, plans are for Fairfield Clinic Eldon Outreach to be open from 1-5 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays, with appointments from 1:30-4:30 p.m., and limited walk-in appointments available.

Coop said the new clinic doesn?t have telephone service yet, so anyone who would like to set up an appointment now needs to call the Fairfield Clinic at 472-4141 and be sure to indicate the appointment is being made for the Eldon clinic.

Both new and established patients of the Fairfield Clinic will be seen at the Eldon Clinic, she added.

Michael Poole, doctor of osteopathy and a Fairfield Clinic physician, will alternate the scheduled days at the Eldon clinic with Eilene Swartz. Swartz is an advanced registered nurse practitioner at the Fairfield Clinic. Coop said both practitioners are life-long residents of southeast Iowa: Poole lives in Keosauqua and Swartz lives in the Batavia area.

The caregivers in Eldon will offer blood pressure checks and small-scale treatments, but the exact services to be offered haven?t been finalized; options are being left open for expanded services and hours.

Coop added as autumn approaches, the clinic also will offer a flu vaccine clinic.

The clinic will be associated with the Jefferson County Health Center for additional medical care resources.

?This is a totally new venture for us,? said Coop. ?It?ll be a huge learning curve. Our doctors know how to doctor, and we know how to run an office, but we?ve never had a separate clinic.?