Terri is in the paper... again!

It seems as though everyone agrees that Terri is needed on Tinian! After a number of weeks of uncertainty, the Tinian Clinic is finally getting back to normal. Here is the article:

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Marianas Variety Friday, January 16, 2009

Licensing board allows physician assistant to practice on Tinian
By Junhan B. Todeno - Variety News Staff

It would be unfair to the people of Tinian to restrict Terri Clawson, a physician assistant, from practicing at the Tinian Health Center which has yet to hire a permanent physician.

This was the contention of the Health Care Professional Licensing Board in allowing Clawson to continue her work as a licensed professional.

In its order, the board said Dr. Shirish Balachandra, who works at the Commonwealth Health Center, will serve as Clawson’s supervising physician.

Since July last year, when Dr. Ronaldo Toledo resigned, the Tinian Health Center has been without a full time physician.

The board said Clawson is authorized to prescribe “schedule II medications” or controlled substance, but not during “the pendency of this order,” except in cases of bona fide medical emergency.

The order was published in Commonwealth Register on Dec. 22, 2008 to allow the public to submit their comments.

Clawson is also authorized to prescribe “scheduled III through V medications but she will inform the supervisor with daily e-mails.”

The supervisor, the board said, “shall review and sign chart notes monthly. Prior approval from the supervisor before starting chronic or long term medication is a prerequisite.”

The database of patients that need chronic or long-term scheduled medications will be maintained and updated by Clawson, the order said, adding that Balachandra will review it every month.

Balachandra will also closely monitor chronic pain contracts, the board stated.

Patients will be expected to provide frequent, random urine specimens, and evidence of illicit or inappropriate drug use will be grounds for discontinuation of opiate therapy, the order said.

The board told Clawson that the diversion of prescription medications will not be tolerated.

“As per widely accepted practice standards, patients will receive a maximum of one warning for non-adherence to chronic pain contracts,” the board added.


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None of this would have been possible without Dr. Balachandra accepting the responsibility of remote supervision from Saipan. No one else was willing to take the time to oversee the Tinian clinic, as Saipan itself has its own set of problems getting enough medical personnel to cover its needs.