New primary care center for 65 and older

Florence Health to open April 5 in Chico

>> A new primary care center for those 65 and older on Medicare will be opening in Chico.

The Florence Health Primary Care Center will be opening for in-person visits on April 5 at 1046 Mangrove Ave., Suite B.

The purpose of the center is to create more availability for those who are new to Medicare.

Director Jessica Johnson said for those who switch to Medicare it can be difficult to find a doctor who is accepting new patients.

“We’re opening it up for all these new Medicare patients so that they have a consistent provider seeing them,” Johnson said.

Johnson has a background in skilled nursing which she said allowed her to see that there’s a need for more primary care facilities that specifically accept Medicare patients.

“What I would see on that side of things is we were discharging residents who had Medicare, but didn’t have a primary doctor already established,” Johnson said. “Primary care is a struggle to find that sometimes when you do get an appointment it’s four months out.”

Johnson said the location on Mangrove can handle about 1,000 to 2,000 patients. However, the location is temporary since Florence is discussing opening a larger, permanent location in Merriam Park. The Merriam Park location could handle about 4,000 patients, but it won’t be open until the end of this year or the beginning of 2022, Johnson said.

Johnson noted that Florence Health will also be providing more “intimate” services. The services include checking in routinely with patients and offering virtual check-ins.

The purpose is to be in communication with patients so that health issues don’t spiral into something larger and require a trip to the emergency room or hospital, Johnson said.

“We’re doing a little bit extra. A lot of things can get missed if you’re not providing that continuous care,” Johnson said. “This is helping us stay more involved with the patients’ lives so we can stay on top of how to proactively treat.”

The center is also partnered with Paradise Medical Group. The patients from Paradise Medical Group can also attend the Florence facility.

“We do already have a patient base. Paradise Medical Group, they have a lot of patients that after the fire they moved to Chico. They stuck with this provider group because they liked them,” Johnson said. “We will have a handful of those individuals who will be signing up for the Chico location as well.”

For those who would like to sign up or learn more, the Florence Welcome Team can be reached at 332-8877. Individuals will be prompted to pre-register by phone then schedule an appointment.

Every few months, you may hear the phrase “earnings season” as you listen to financial news.

But what exactly is “earnings season,” and why is it important to Wall

Street?

Earnings season is the time when a majority of publicly traded companies release their quarterly financial reports. Companies often go into great detail about their business, and some may guide what lies ahead.

Typically, earnings season starts several weeks after the calendar quarter comes to a close. For example, the fourth quarter’s earnings season began in mid-January, and the majority of companies expect to release their earnings over the next six weeks.

In recent weeks, some market watchers have expressed concerns about stock-price valuations. Stocks are currently trading at about 23 times 2021 earnings, above the historical range of 15 to 17 times forward earnings.

Expectations for a robust economic rebound may explain today’s valuations; a rise in corporate earnings may accompany these. As earnings season gathers momentum, we’ll be able to see if the optimism is warranted.

Over the next few weeks, you can expect to hear some upbeat comments about the fourth quarter. But brace for some negative reports. If you hear some confusing commentary, please give us a call. We’d welcome the chance to talk about what earnings are saying about the overall economic outlook.

Richard H Mootz, CFP® CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, is a Registered Representative of and offers securities through Securities America, Inc., a Registered Broker/ Dealer, member FINRA/ SIPC., Advisory Services offered through Securities America Advisors,

Inc., A SEC Registered Investment Advisory firm. Mootz Financial Solutions and Securities America Companies are not affiliated. Mootz can be reached at (530) 8777007 — by e-mail rick@ mootzfinancial.com or visit the website at www. mootzfinancialsolutions. com Securities America and its advisors do not provide tax or legal advice.