The Athens Neighborhood Health Center is hosting two Open Houses this week, as part of National Health Center Week. Harold Weber is a Health Insurance Navigator and Outreach Coordinator with the facility. He says for 47 years; the center has provided medical care for area residents from all income levels.
“At the point in time that I came, they had like 18 employees, and we received our federal qualification just before I came which resulted in a large infusion of new money and since then we gone to over 40 employees,” according to Weber. We serve 8,000 patients now.”
And while the Open Houses are a way to show residents what’s available to them, local, state and national political leaders are also invited. Weber says it’s important for members of Congress to view firsthand, the impact such facilities have on communities.
“We want to make sure legislators truly understand how important we are and what we do. It’s not just our patients, but to the community as a whole. Every August we try to make a special effort to remind the community about all the things that federally qualified health centers do.”
The Open Houses are Tuesday, August 6th at the eastside building at 402 McKinley Drive from 9 am until 6:30 pm. The second is Thursday, August 8th at 675 College Avenue from 9 am until 5 pm.
Staff will provide health screenings, including blood pressure and blood sugar checks, voter registration assistance and more.
