The new Spanish Valley Clinic is under construction on Spanish Valley Drive, currently on budget and scheduled to open on Nov. 1, according to San Juan Health CEO Clayton Holt. San Juan Health is the San Juan County service district that oversees San Juan Hospital in Monticello as well as clinics in Monticello and Blanding, and will oversee the Spanish Valley Clinic as well. The project received an approximately $1.4 million grant and a $4 million low-interest loan from Utah’s Community Impact Board, which provides loans and grants to governmental entities in the state impacted by mineral resource development on federal lands. The funding was controversial, with officials from the nearby Moab Regional Hospital contesting that other healthcare providers in Moab/Spanish Valley, like MRH, were not consulted in the planning of the new clinic and that its operating model would harm MRH. [See “Spanish Valley health clinic gets funds, despite legal challenge,” Feb. 13, 2020 edition. -ed.]
Holt said he doesn’t know how many patients to expect when the clinic opens later this year.
“We’ve constructed the building in such a way that opening costs are manageable with minimal patient volume,” he explained. The clinic will open with 10 healthcare providers on staff, offering primary care for all ages, a pharmacy, and imaging and lab services. As the population of Spanish Valley grows and the clinic receives more patients, the clinic will have the ability to expand staffing.
“We’re very excited, we’ve had very positive feedback from the local communities of Spanish Valley and La Sal,” said Holt. “We’re looking forward to being able to provide those services.”
