By Nolan Madden North Country HealthCare is the area’s only publicly supported community health center. Twenty years ago, the center transitioned from a free community clinic to a state and federally recognized community health center, and today extends its services to 14 communities across northern Arizona, including Holbrook, Winslow and Show Low. The integrated health care center provides behavioral health, general medical and dental services, and partners with local providers when referring patients for specialty services. In Winslow, the facility is staffed with three general practitioners, a physician’s assistant and a pediatrician, and handles around 600 patients per month. North Country’s service mission is strongly devoted to pediatric health care. According to Michelle Simmons, Healthy Steps child development program specialist at the Winslow facility, economists have estimated that “every market dollar invested in early childhood education from birth to 5 years of age has a six-time return on the investment.” Simmons noted that North Country’s clinics play a key role in this initiative through developmental screenings for children in that age group and beyond. “As our pediatric patients get a little older, we start doing developmental screenings along with their medical appointment. So while the doctor is looking at the physical well-being of a child, we also look to make sure they are progressing correctly developmentally,” she explained. “On the rare occasions where we do have a child that has a developmental delay, we’re able to refer them into early intervention services or to the local school district for specialized services well before they get into kindergarten and possibly find themselves already behind other students in their class. “We have the only pediatrician in Winslow. So if you are in need of a pediatrician, you don’t have to go to Flagstaff anymore,” said Simmons. For persons in search of health insurance and public assistance options, Simmons points out that the facility is staffed with a Family Health advocate to offer program application and eligibility assistance, eliminating the need for separate Department of Economic Security office visits to complete Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) or Nutrition Assistance services. The Winslow facility is located at 620 W. Lee St., directly behind the Safeway complex.