The Making of A Doctor: An Interview with Dr. Lise Alexander

By Miles White
Tribal Connections

Dr. Lise Alexander, a 2003 graduate of the University of Washington School of Medicine, is a third year resident at the Seattle Indian Health Board, specializing in family practice. In this interview she discusses her transition from student to practicing physician, and the challenges involved in treating the urban Indian population in Seattle.

There are two medical clinics at the SIHB. On one side of the facility is the Urgent Care Clinic, and on the other side is a clinic where people set appointments to see doctors. The clinic also has WIC programs with pre-natal care (WIC is the federal program for pregnant mothers and young children under the age of five) and other social service and community outreach programs.

The residency program here is all family practice. SIHB takes two residents a year in its three-year program, with a maximum of six residents in any one year. The clinic will see anyone who walks in and seeks medical care there. Sixty percent of the clientele is Native American, but the rest represents the ethnic diversity of Seattle. Almost all clientele come from low income populations, have no health insurance, or are on Medicare or Medicaid. There are very few private insurance patients. The clinic works on a sliding fee scale for low income patients who do not have health insurance, and the pharmacy dispenses medication for a nominal fee.

The facility has six resident physicians and five attending physicians on staff along with several medical assistants and one Physician's Assistant. There is a full dental clinic on the premises and once a month a diabetes support group meets here. The clinic assists people with financial applications and other services such as clothing and food needs and housing.

The clinic provides subsidized nutrition and health counseling with funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, providing food resources like milk, peanut butter, fruit juices and fortified cereals to needy patients. An outpatient alcohol and drug treatment is located downstairs as well as an inpatient facility for drug and alcohol treatment. The complex also houses the Seattle Indian Center, a separate resource center that provides GED training and child care services and a food bank.