Health Center May Relocate Outer Cape Health Looking At Orleans Site

 HARWICH – Outer Cape Health Services is weighing leasing options for its community health care center at 710 Route 28, across from Saquatucket Harbor. There have been rumors floating about for the past couple of months that its medical and administrative offices may move.

 Outer Cape Health Services (OCHS) board of directors president Larry Ballantine said on Friday that negotiations are ongoing for a site in Orleans while talks continue with Trish and Tom Kennedy, owners of the OCHS Harwich building. The present lease expires in October, Ballantine said. 

Ballantine confirmed the present building, a two-story, 33,300-square-foot structure, is “too much space” for what OCHS needs, and a portion of the building is not being used. 

Decisions could be made as early as next week relating to real estate negotiations, he said. 

Ballantine and OCHS CEO Dr. Damian Archer have made it clear that with the difficulty of finding and retaining staff based on the cost of housing on the Cape, more telehealth services will be utilized in the future. Archer has been conducting community outreach sessions in area towns explaining plans for OCHS to increase telehealth services.

According to what Archer said at the community meetings and in an interview with The Chronicle, the twin goals of cutting the waitlist and increasing the staff can be met without compromising patient care while still offering onsite appointments when necessary or preferred by patients.

OCHS has 1,000 people on its primary medical care waiting list.

 “That’s the way the world is going right now,” Ballantine said of the transition to telehealth services. 

 He estimated there will be an eventual shift to 40 percent telehealth services and 60 percent in-person patient visits. That will allow healthcare providers to see more people and better utilize their space, he said, adding that behavioral health services have already made a major shift to telehealth. 

"Our goal is to supplement in-person care with other options for our patients to get with us, and if patients prefer to visit in person, they will be able to do that," Archer told Brewster residents.

Major renovations were made to the interior of the former Thompson’s Farm Market building to accommodate OCHS in 2018. 

In mid-March, The Chronicle inquired about the status of an OCHS lease. OCHS said at the time that it was “committed to serving the health and wellness needs of the region’s 10 outermost communities, now and in the future. As a matter of policy, the organization does not publicly discuss lease terms or business negotiations with property owners. As a fiscally responsible nonprofit, Outer Cape Health Services continually evaluates opportunities to enhance services and improve operational efficiency, including decisions related to its facilities.”

 Trish Kennedy did not respond to requests for comments on the status of the lease.

 OCHS also has healthcare facilities in Wellfleet and Provincetown and pharmacies in each of the three towns.