Sarah Kerr, Vice President Operations: Northern Division

Sarah Kerr

Sarah Kerr, Vice President Operations: Northern DivisionErik Salholm2023-05-24T15:48:30-07:00

Sarah Kerr

Vice President of Operations: Northern Division

Sarah Kerr oversees operations at seven health center sites for Open Door Community Health Centers in Arcata, Mckinleyville, Willow Creek, and Crescent City. In this role, Sarah oversees medical and pregnancy services and is responsible for Special Population service lines including HIV/AIDS, Gender-Affirming Care and Teen Health.

Sarah has worked in community health care for over 20 years in a variety of roles and settings, focusing primarily on health center operation. In addition to her over 13 years of service to Open Door, Sarah has served as Patient Services Director for Six Rivers Planned Parenthood and as Regional Director for Planned Parenthood Northern California.

Sarah graduated from Humboldt State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and a multiple subjects teaching credential. She is also a graduate of the UCSF Center for Health Professions Clinic Leadership Institute.

Walk-In Acute Care Services

Do you need medical care today, but you can’t get in with your regular Open Door provider?

Open Door is pleased to announce walk-in services for non-life threatening medical issues!

What: Open Door Acute Care Center (ACC) for walk-in appointments for established Open Door patients

Who: for all established Open Door patients. We cannot accept anyone who is not already a patient of Open Door.

Where: 2412 Buhne Street, Eureka, CA 95501 | 707.443.4666 phone

When: 8 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday (closed for lunch 12:00PM – 1:00 PM)

What: Walk-in health center (no appointment needed) for established patients

Morning appointments accepted before 11:15 AM

Afternoon appointments accepted before 4:15 PM

The ACC serves the following acute issues:

Cough, chest, or sinus congestion
Sore throat
Earache/ear pain
Nausea/vomiting
Diarrhea/constipation
Headache/migraine
Pinkeye
Eye injury
Asthma or COPD flare up
Wounds/minor injury
Abscess or other infection
Lice, scabies, ringworm, or rash
STD testing
UTI or yeast infection
Back or joint pain, less than 2 weeks

Important Notes:

Appointments are made on a first-come first-served basis.
Wait times can be up to 2 hours.
Come in early, as schedules fill up quickly. We open to pts at 8 am and 1 pm. You can call ahead to see if our schedule is full at (707) 443-4666.

The Acute Care Center cannot see patients for work related injury or illness, sports physicals, or medication refills of any kind.

We cannot treat life-threatening conditions. If you have any of the following, please call 911 or proceed to the Emergency Department nearest you:

Chest pain or heart palpitations
Acute psychiatric changes including suicidal ideation
Severe abdominal pain, active internal bleeding (throwing up blood or black stool)
External bleeding, uncontrolled bleeding or bleeding/ spotting with possible pregnancy
Poisoning
Car accident/physical trauma (assault/major fall)
Suspected (child, sexual, or elder) abuse
Neurological changes including stroke, recent loss of consciousness, decreased level of consciousness (unusually sleepy, listless, “out of it” confused, hard to wake, not acting normal) and seizures

Point of Care Ultrasound Training (POCUS)

The ODCHC APC residency program offers a Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) training program as part of our Advanced Practice Clinician (APC) residency curriculum. This program equips healthcare providers with the skills to perform and interpret ultrasounds at the patient’s bedside, resulting in enhanced diagnostic accuracy, timely decision-making, reduced healthcare costs, improved patient experience, expanded access to underserved areas, and opportunities for education and community health promotion. By integrating POCUS into our curriculum, we enhance patient care and access to healthcare while reducing costs benefiting individual patients and the community.

Procedure Clinic

The procedure clinic within our Advanced Practice Clinician (APC) residency curriculum at Open Door Community Health Centers empowers our healthcare providers with the skills to perform essential medical procedures efficiently in the primary care setting, such as biopsies, injections, suturing, etc. This program significantly benefits our patients and community by ensuring enhanced patient care, reduced wait times, cost-effective treatment, and improved access to essential healthcare services. With procedure-trained providers, we prioritize patient well-being, offer prompt and effective procedures, and contribute to our community’s overall health and satisfaction.

Longitudinal Pediatric Clinics

Our Longitudinal Pediatric Clinic training, an integral component of the Advanced Practice Clinician (APC) residency curriculum at Open Door Community Health Centers, is designed to equip our healthcare providers with specialized skills in pediatric care. This program offers numerous benefits to our patients and community by ensuring comprehensive, continuous, and high-quality healthcare for children. Our residents gain expertise in pediatric diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, leading to improved child health outcomes. By focusing on pediatric care, we are committed to enhancing the well-being of our young patients, fostering healthier communities, and providing a vital service to families in need of specialized healthcare for their children.