Debra Dever ran up and down the halls of the Community Health Center the afternoon of Thursday, May 24, while members of her staff waited on a handful of patients.
The executive director of the Community Health Center helped open its doors for the first time Tuesday, May 22. Since then, Dever said she has seen a steady flow of patients of all ages walk through its doors.
"And that’s without any advertising, just word of mouth," she said.
The Community Health Center was one of 13 nonprofit organizations to receive grant money from the Northern Virginia Health Foundation, an organization set up to improve the health of low-income residents of the area.
The Northern Virginia Foundation was established by an Order of the Alexandria Court as a result of the resolution of a lawsuit arising from the operation of the now closed Jefferson Memorial Hospital. The foundation’s mission is to improve the health of resident of Northern Virginia, with emphasis on supporting efforts to improve the health and health care of low-income, uninsured or underinsured persons, and on supporting the provision of health education, prevention of disease and wellness programs.
"Our board of directors is extremely pleased to have the opportunity to provide financial resources that can help address some of the most pressing health and health-care needs in Northern Virginia," Thomas C. Brown, board chairman of the Northern Virginia Health Foundation, said.
In its first week of operation, the Community Health Center served more than 30 patients, Dever said.
"So the need is there," she added.
THE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER is located on the third floor of the old Loudoun Hospital on Cornwall Street in Leesburg, next door to the Free Clinic.
Dr. David Goodfriend, director of the Health Department, said the health center and free clinic both play a major role in keeping residents who are uninsured and underinsured healthy.
The Free Clinic is made up of volunteer physicians and nurses, it operates around their schedules and only serves adults. By contrast, the Community Health Center is made up of paid staff members, has set times, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and offers services to adults and children.
The Community Health Center is not free, either, Dever said.
The Community Health Center charges patients on a sliding fee that starts at $10 a visit and is based on a person's ability to pay. However, Dever said she would never turn anyone away.
The ultimate goal, Goodfriend said, is for the Free Clinic, the Community Health Center and the Health Department to offer all services between them, so anyone who needs health care and cannot afford it, can get the treatment they deserve.
The Community Health Center offers primary care so children and adults can receive routine health checks to prevent disease, rather than wait to see a doctor in an emergency situation.
THE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER is open Monday through Friday, but if demand continues to increase, Dever said she will extend the health center’s hours to Saturdays, too.
"We want to be able to provide service to as many people as we can," she said.