Colfax health care survey: respondents prefer mornings, want routine care

By LeAnn R. Ralph

COLFAX  —  Since July 1, Colfax has been without a health care provider.

The absence of a clinic means area residents must travel to Menomonie, Eau Claire or Bloomer to find a doctor, a physician assistant or a nurse practitioner.

As the first step in the process of trying to find another health care provider to locate in Colfax, Lynn Niggemann, village administrator-clerk-treasurer, designed a survey to find out what kind of care people would prefer to have available in Colfax and whether people are willing to see a Doctor of Medicine, a Doctor of Osteopathy, a physician assistant or a nurse practitioner.

 Early on in the process, Colfax EMTs went door-to-door to distribute surveys.

Later on, Niggemann mailed out surveys to the surrounding area in the 54730 ZIP code.

Of the 1,519 surveys distributed, the village received 202 surveys back, representing a response rate of 13.3 percent, Niggemann wrote in a report to the Colfax Village Board.

“It seems accurate that the percentage would have gone down with the second phase of the surveys since we were reaching out to individuals who are maybe located in a closer proximity to other providers such as Menomonie, Bloomer or Eau Claire,” she wrote.

The response rate for the village of Colfax was 25.5 percent.

The next step in the process, Niggemann said, is to give the survey data to medical providers to find out if there is any interest in opening a clinic in Colfax.

Here are the results of the survey:

• Age group of respondents: 36 people were under 18; 22 people were between the ages of 19 and 26; 118 people were between the ages of 27 and 62; and 129 people were 62 years or older.

• “Would you be willing to use a medical provider other than Mayo, such as Marshfield, Prevea Health, or Oak Leaf Clinics if this provider had a clinic site in Colfax?”

Of those who responded to the survey, 171 said “yes”; 37 said “no”; 17 said Mayo only; 2 said “not Marshfield” and 7 said it depends upon their current insurance provider.

• “Which types of providers are you willing to see?”

Of those who responded to the survey, 196 said they would see a Doctor of Medicine; 110 said they would see a Doctor of Osteopathy; 173 said they would see a physician assistant; and 151 said they would see a nurse practitioner.

• “If the clinic is open only part time, what hours would you prefer?

Of those who responded, 123 said mornings (8 a.m. to noon); 79 said afternoon (noon to 4 p.m.); and 70 said 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

• “What types of services would you like a Colfax provider to offer?”

Of those who responded to the survey, 147 said they wanted blood work; 144 wanted routine care; 104 wanted x-rays; 67 wanted physicals; 4 wanted nail care; 39 said any medical issue; 13 said family medicine; 7 said blood pressure; 21 said emergencies; 2 said ultrasounds; 4 said mammograms; 4 wanted flu shots to be available; 1 person said a cardiologist; 2 said allergies; 6 said pediatrics; 2 wanted orthopedics; 2 said same-day appointments; 1 respondent said an MRI; and 10 wanted prescription renewals.