Bringing Full-Time Primary Care Back to South Wasco County - Deschutes Rim Health Clinic
Maupin, Ore. Aug. 27, 2026 — For residents scattered across roughly 1,000 square miles of south Wasco County, getting to a doctor can mean a long drive. Deschutes Rim Health Clinic is working to make that trip a lot shorter.
Jennifer Lombardi, the clinic's new nurse practitioner, recently moved to the area with her husband, two dogs and a cat to provide full-time primary care at the rural clinic.
"I love it," Lombardi said of her new home. "It's a great place."
The move fills an important need for a clinic that struggled for several years to recruit a permanent provider. The clinic had operated for more than 20 years and moved into a new building around the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but subsequently lost its longtime provider and had difficulty finding someone willing to live and work in the area full time.
South Wasco County has about 2,000 residents spread across approximately 1,000 square miles, making access to medical care a challenge for some residents. For people living outside the area's small communities, even routine medical appointments can require significant travel.
Lombardi said some patients can make the 15-mile trip to the clinic but may not be comfortable driving 45 miles to The Dalles. Others may not have a vehicle reliable enough to make the longer trip. Specialist appointments can require even more travel.
Primary care close to home
Deschutes Rim Health Clinic focuses on primary care, ranging from preventive screenings to treatment of everyday illnesses and minor injuries.
Lombardi said the clinic can monitor cholesterol, screen patients for diabetes and osteoporosis, manage chronic health conditions and treat illnesses such as colds and stomach problems. The clinic can also handle some minor injuries.
"Did you cut yourself with a kitchen knife? We can sew those things up," Lombardi said. "So we do have quite a wide variety of things that we can offer right now."
For medical needs that require a specialist, the clinic can help patients navigate the referral process and complete some of the preliminary work before they travel.
The clinic can draw blood and send laboratory work out for testing. While it does not have X-ray or other imaging equipment, providers can order imaging that patients can have completed elsewhere, including The Dalles or Madras.
That can save rural patients from making multiple trips and help ensure specialists have information they need before an appointment.
"We can do a lot of the legwork upfront," Lombardi said.
The clinic can also perform lab draws ordered by outside physicians. That means a south Wasco County resident who sees a physician or specialist elsewhere may be able to have blood drawn locally rather than driving to another community solely for lab work.
Same-day appointments available
Lombardi works full time at the clinic, generally seeing patients from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday.
Dr. Anslinger, an internal medicine physician who helped keep the clinic operating during its staffing shortage, continues to see patients Mondays and for a half-day Thursdays.
Lombardi said Anslinger's familiarity with the region's health care system has also helped her learn where to send patients who need services unavailable at the clinic.
"She's been a great asset for me because I'm not from here," said Lombardi, who moved from Wyoming.
The clinic is accepting new patients and tries to keep appointments open for people who need to be seen the same day.
Lombardi said establishing care before an urgent problem develops can make those visits more effective. New patients receive hourlong appointments, giving providers time to review medical records, medications and health history and discuss what the patient needs from the health care system.
"We have the time," Lombardi said.
Having a local option can also help patients avoid using an emergency room for health problems that can appropriately be handled in a primary care setting.
Clinic looking to expand staff
The clinic currently has a manager and front desk staff and is working to hire a medical assistant.
Its next major challenge is restoring dental care.
The clinic has two dental chairs but does not currently have a dentist. Lombardi said officials are actively trying to recruit one, ideally someone who could eventually work full time.
The clinic has received a federal health shortage-area designation that Lombardi said could help with recruitment by making certain providers eligible for student loan repayment programs.
"We're working really hard trying to recruit and find somebody who can be there for at least half — hopefully full time someday — but to have the dental stuff up and running again," Lombardi said.
The goal would be to provide general dentistry locally, giving residents another basic health service without requiring a lengthy drive.
For Lombardi, settling in south Wasco County wasn't simply about finding a job. She said she interviewed for positions in about five communities before deciding the area was where she wanted to be.
She pointed to the Deschutes River, Mount Hood and the region's hiking, camping, fishing and rafting opportunities as part of the attraction.
"Maupin definitely came out on top of where I would like to be," Lombardi said. "It's just such a beautiful place. The people are so friendly."
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