February 15th marked 6 months since Mountain Laurel Medical Center launched their first practice site in West Virginia. The primary care practice, previously Bruceton Family Medicine, was originally staffed by two community-established Nurse Practitioners Alysia Funk and Sarah Jones and has grown to include a part time doctor, Dr. Christopher Ferrell, and an additional part time Nurse Practitioner, Brittany Shaffer.
In addition to expanding primary care services, the Community Health Center also added Integrated Behavioral Health Services provided by Julie Martinez-Aguilar (LICSW), and Psychiatrist Dr. Melissa Scott.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to provide behavioral health services to the Preston County area. At a time when mental health is more important than ever, we are excited to provide integrated care with a team-based approach. Patients can have their mental and physical health needs addressed in one place as we work together to improve whole-person care and decrease the stigma of behavioral health issues,” remarked Dr. Melissa Scott.
Patients of the practice have also benefitted from the addition of care coordination services provided by a team of Registered Nurses. These nurses assist with chronic disease management between provider visits by developing a care plan that is managed by phone correspondence and face-to-face sessions. They also coordinate the transition of care from hospitalizations and emergency room visits back to the outpatient health center team.
One patient shared that, “The chronic care management program at Mountain Laurel has been a resource that I didn’t have before and I was able to get set up with a dietician to help me better manage my diabetes.”
Mountain Laurel Medical Center accepts West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania Medicaid, Medicare, and most commercial insurances. For those who are uninsured, Mountain Laurel offers insurance enrollment assistance and an income-based sliding fee scale. In addition to the Bruceton practice, MLMC has three other locations in Oakland, Grantsville, and Westernport, Maryland. Their mission is to “provide the highest quality primary health care to the Community regardless of ability to pay”.