A county health provider told San Juan County commissioners on Nov. 8 that it plans to ramp up services in 2026 and is seeking about $55,000 in county support to stabilize staffing.

The clinic representative (identified in the transcript as Speaker 6) said the request is split roughly between $45,000 for an administrative/medical-assistant position (20 hours per week) and about $7,000–$10,000 to fund an on-call medical director. "If there's money dedicated to clinic up here, I would cut out ... a different bank account so those funds stay in San Juan County," the speaker said, urging a clear accounting line so money remains local.

The presenter described operational changes the clinic is making: converting a short-term medical assistant role to a paid position (Mason Broughton is listed as an interim hire), starting lab draws locally, expanding home visits, and aiming to increase clinic days starting Jan. 1. The presenter also said the organization had signed a VA contract but the VA countersignature had not yet arrived, meaning some VA billing and reimbursement flows remain delayed.

Commissioners discussed possible funding sources: county staff and commissioners suggested $45,000 could be covered from core public-health funds and that the roughly $10,000 medical-director line might be appropriated from the general fund or emergency-services sales-tax revenues. The group did not take a formal funding vote at the Nov. 8 meeting; the board asked staff to include the request in upcoming budget talks and to provide line-item detail.

Why it matters: the clinic is a primary access point for residents in the county’s higher elevations. Commissioners said they were mindful that a ballot initiative intended to raise local revenue had failed, and they want budget-level detail before committing to an ongoing general-fund appropriation.

What comes next: staff will include the clinic’s request in the formal 2026 budget process and return with clarified line-item costs, details about the medical-director procurement and insurance implications, and any contract language governing the use of funds.

Sources: Clinic presentation to the San Juan County Board of Commissioners meeting, Nov. 8, 2025. Quotations are from the meeting transcript and attributed to the presenting clinic representative (speaker not named in the transcript).