This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I commend The Tribune for featuring the Midvale Family Clinic and its founder, certified nurse practitioner Kim Sprangrude ("Midvale clinic gains federal status," Tribune, April 13). The article provides a real-life local face of people who need primary care.
The solution, as the article emphasized, includes nurse practitioners. To minimize society's health costs we must address small health issues before they become large. Thus, small family clinics like the one in Midvale serve both their clients and society by providing efficient and accessible health care.
The need for capable practitioners willing to practice in primary care environments is growing. We all benefit if the number of nurse-practitioner-run family clinics flourish to meet that need.
Through opening an independent practice, Spangrude demonstrates to the Salt Lake City community the full extent of the capabilities of a nurse practitioner. Spangrude certainly inspires those of us in the nurse practitioner community to "be all that we can be."
Thank you for bringing attention to both the need and to one solution to our community's health care challenges.
Jennifer Clifton
Past president, Utah Nurse Practitioners
Park City