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Recent News: ACHR  Portage County Clinic Opens

Akron Community Health Resources opened its satellite medical clinic- known as Portage County Community Health Center- on November 3rd. ''It's a great location,'' said John Sniezek, ACHR's chief executive officer. ''It's on a public transit line and folks can access it very easily.''  The location also is ideal because eastern-Kent has been identified by the state and federal government as being a medically underserved area, said Stephen Colecchi, Robinson's president and chief executive.  NEOUCOM (Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy) is contributing $125,000 to renovate the medical center.  The funding is part of a $1.1 million gift from an anonymous donor to support the establishment of a safety-net health clinic in Portage County.

The number of exam rooms haven been expanded from four to 10, said Jay C. Williamson-MD, associate dean for clinical sciences at NEOUCOM and an ACHR board member. ''We're anticipating that after the first of the year, once the clinic gets established, we'll have medical students and pharmacy students rotating through there, as well as learning about the issues the uninsured and underinsured face in our country,'' Dr. Williamson said. The creation of the Portage County Community Health Center is the culmination of eight years of work by leaders from the Portage County Board of Commissioners, NEOUCOM, Family and Community Services and Robinson Memorial Hospital to build a safety-net provider for Portage County's estimated 30,000 to 45,000 uninsured and underinsured residents.

Anyone can access medical care at the new medical center that will be open Monday-Fridays, between  7:30 AM-6:00 PM, and Saturdays 7:30 AM-3:00 PM.

Appointments are accepted and ACHR’s open-access policy assures  patients can be seen as a walk-in at any time when the medical center is open.

In the first year, the Portage County location is estimating to  serve about 7,000 patients, including about 3,000 who lack health insurance.  Additional services to be provided at the Portage Community Health Center include: specialty referrals, prescription medical assistance, patient counseling, and dental care though ACHR’s dental clinic in Akron.

For additional information, please e-mail: info@achrhealth.org or contat us at 330-673-1016.