Health care insurance takes a huge bite out of paychecks these days. Some people cancel their insurance as deductibles climb. Others avoid going to the doctor when they’re sick or forego regular checkups.

The doctor and administrator at Baycrest Village saw this happening with their own employees and decided to do something about it.

The retirement, assisted living and skilled nursing facility launched a health clinic for staff about eight months ago. Now ailing employees can be seen by a doctor and get free treatment.

“It starts off as a matter of social responsibility,” Baycrest CEO/Administrator Sam Van Meter said. “You get somebody trying to work sick. We need them and their families need them.”

William Moriarty, M.D., the resident physician, said the clinic has functioned almost perfectly, other than an occasional employee coming to work sick so they can see the doctor.

“It fits all together when it works well,” he said.

There were some naysayers early on.

“They said people would abuse it,” Van Meter said.

Moriarty said it’s almost been the exact opposite.

“Sometimes people are almost embarrassed to see me because they’re taking my time,” he said.

In his tiny triangular-shaped office in Baycrest’s health clinic, Moriarty, 52, examines staff with colds or sore throats. Sometimes he tackles chronic problems such as diabetes or high blood pressure. The only thing he doesn’t handle is women’s OB/GYN health care.

Since the clinic began, employee turnover has decreased and morale has improved, Van Meter said.

“People are showing up healthier and more often,” he said.

Plus, the percentage of overtime has dropped over the past year by almost 3 percent. That’s a big difference when you employ 190 to 235 employees, with monthly payroll of about $400,000, he said.

It’s saved employees money, too.

“I don’t have the big bills,” said Char Smith, a certified nursing assistant. “It makes it more convenient. I can see him when I need to.”

Moriarty helped Smith with a foot problem that made it hard for her to walk.

“When she first came in, she was having trouble standing up,” Moriarty said. “Planter fasciitis causes inflammation on the base of the heel.”

He taught her how to treat it by icing it frequently, also using a heel lift and rolling a tennis ball under her foot for exercise. Her cost was buying the over-the-counter anti-inflammatory.

Registered nurse Pam Burbank said that since Moriarty began the staff health clinic she has noticed employees seem less stressed.

“I think that makes such a huge difference for staff,” Burbank said. “We get seen quickly, get taken care of and get back to work.”

The physician’s care carries beyond the little clinic. Housekeeper Valerie Shaw said a co-worker once had to go to the hospital. Moriarty knew she couldn’t afford an ambulance ride, so he asked Shaw if she could drive the co-worker. Shaw  was surprised to find Moriarty jumping into the back seat to go along.

“He’s nice. You can see how good he is with patients,” Shaw said.

Moriarty’s style of doctoring is something rarely seen these days. Van Meter laughed and said he reminds him of the old TV show character Marcus Welby. The old-fashioned doctor went the extra mile, threw on the extra blanket when a patient needed one and followed through with care. That’s Moriarty.

“Dr. Moriarty has been the doctor your grandmother and grandfather told you about,” Van Meter said.

Van Meter and Moriarty came up with the clinic idea in November 2007. Both have graduate degrees in ministry and tend to see eye to eye on issues of morality. Van Meter, who has been a health care provider for 20 years, would hear employees talking about not having money for gas or food. Even though Baycrest offers health insurance, some of the employees opted not to sign up for it because of the expense.

“Fuel prices, transportation, the cost of food is eating up that disposable income,” Van Meter said. “They’re choosing not to use health insurance because of high deductibles, and those deductibles are leverage employers use to lower health insurance costs.”

And more, Van Meter said, his staff works hard.

“If the world were a right place, people like that would make tons of money and have the best of benefits,” Van Meter said. “Unfortunately, that’s not the way it is.”

Even those with health insurance can wait days or weeks to see a doctor.

“Coos Bay has been challenged by the number of physicians available,” Van Meter said. “There’s no urgent care and the emergency room is expensive. They call it a benefit. It’s not a benefit if you can’t get to the doctor.”

He said part of the conversation has been about how the health care system is broken.

“This becomes a huge circular argument where at the end of the day you still don’t have health care,” he said.

Moriarty and Van Meter changed that at least for Baycrest’s employees.

 “It’s a win-win. We’re doing the best we can,” Moriarty said.