Because Cherokee County is one of the poorest counties in the state, it’s also one of the unhealthiest.
The Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas is trying to change that.
Next spring, construction will begin on a medical and dental services clinic to be located on the campus of the Life Center in Riverton. The $1 million facility will boast 4,200 square feet and feature seven medical examination rooms and seven dental operatories. The Riverton clinic will be staffed by CHC/SEK physicians, advanced nurse practitioners, dentists and support staff.
Already with a facility in Columbus, CHC/SEK officials said the Riverton clinic will expand health services in an area of the state where it’s most needed.
“We know that a person’s geographic location or lack of transportation can be barriers to accessing health care,” said Krista Postai, CHC/SEK chief executive officer. “Part of the mission of community health centers is to collaborate with others to address the needs within the region it serves. With the Family Life Center, we have an established partner dedicated to bringing comprehensive and affordable health care to the under-served populations of Cherokee County.”
Bruce Henrickson, CHC/SEK chairperson, said the new clinic will “truly be a health care home.”
“(It) will also be a partner in an overall initiative to tackle the barriers to care people face and, ultimately, improve the overall health status of (Cherokee) County, which tragically ranks second from the bottom out of the 105 Kansas counties,” he said.
The Family Life Center has for years planned to open a medical and dental clinic as Phase III of its long-range building plan, according to Executive Director Scott Jackson. Postai and Jackson began discussing a potential collaboration on a new clinic as far back as 2006. In recent months, armed with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, CHC/SEK officials informed Jackson that they were ready to proceed.
“They could build and operate the clinic and the FLC Board of Directors would provide the land for them,” Jackson said. “Because of the strong need for medical and dental services for our clients in Riverton, Baxter Springs and Galena, as well as for the general population, we decided a clinic would be a great benefit for the entire area.”
And as the FLC is a mental health care facility, the new CHC/SEK clinic on its campus will provide area residents with a wide range of services in one location.
“Cherokee County residents will now have the ability to receive health care and mental health care in one location, and also be able to participate in organized health education and physical fitness activities on the same site,” Jackson said. “FLC will be able to identify and refer our clients for needed medical and dental services to the CHC/SEK, and they will be able to refer their clients identified as needed mental health services to FLC.”
Postai said, “The combined efforts of our two organizations will create a synergy that will allow a vast improvement in the overall health status of Cherokee County residents.”
COLUMBUS —
