Staff photo by Jade McDowell. Dr. Rachel Brennan is now taking patients at Cornerstone Pediatrics in Hermiston.

A former Good Shepherd Health Care System pediatrician is striking out on her own with a new private practice.

Cornerstone Pediatrics, located at 955 S.E. Fourth Street Suite B next to the Hermiston DMV, is now taking new patients. The clinic’s sole employee is Dr. Rachel Brennan.

Brennan has been practicing medicine for seven years and did her residency at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.

“I love taking care of children,” she said.

Brennan said she is a firm believer in preventative care, and that pediatricians should take the time to build up a relationship with families. As a result, payment models for the clinic revolve around “wellness packages” in which parents sign a year-long contract and then pay a monthly fee that encompasses a certain number of visits per year, urgent care and email and phone consultations.

The cheapest of those packages is $35 a month and includes up to five 30-minute appointments per year and 12 email/phone consults, while a contract for the first year of an infant’s life is $150 per month. Families with multiple children can receive discounts. The clinic also provides a fee-for-service model for services such as urgent care, home visits and sports physicals. All patients must first go through an establishment appointment with Brennan before being seen for other types of appointments.

“My specialty is working with children over a long period of time, and getting to know them,” she said.

Cornerstone Pediatrics doesn’t currently take insurance, and Brennan said there is still a question mark about whether the clinic will in the future. For now, her model is targeted more toward people with high deductibles who would have to cover the cost of their child’s check-up themselves anyway.

For more information visit cornerstonepedsoregon.org or call 541-371-2340.

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Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4536.