It has been two years in the making and on Wednesday Affinia Healthcare and Gateway Region YMCA celebrated serving Ferguson and surrounding municipalities during a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Affinia Healthcare center near the Emerson YMCA.
Mayor Ella Jones of Ferguson said, “I’m only the voice of Ferguson, but these people work hard and diligently to make Ferguson a place to live, work and play. And now we have affordable healthcare.”
Mayor Ella Jones of Ferguson said, “I’m only the voice of Ferguson, but these people work hard and diligently to make a Ferguson a place to live, work and play. And now we have affordable healthcare.”
“With rising healthcare costs many families are forced to find sometimes unhealthy alternatives to take care of their loved one,” Jones said.
The 15,000-square-foot facility is expected to open in 2023, and will have 23 medical exam rooms, four dental operatories, two behavioral health exam rooms, and two Medication Assisted Treatment exam rooms.
“It is our mission at Affinia Healthcare to meet the needs of the underserved and often underrepresented with dignity and respect,” said Traci O’Bryan, CEO of Arcturis and an Affinia Healthcare board member.
Affinia Healthcare provides affordable primary and preventive health care and serves over 43,700 people per year. More than 90% of its patients have incomes under 100% of the federal poverty level. Almost 70% of patients served are African American, 11% are Hispanic/Latinx, and over 4,000 are un-housed.
The healthcare center depends on a wide array of funding sources and individual donor contributions to care for the most vulnerable and disenfranchised in our community.
Dr. Kendra Holmes, executive vice president and COO, said “quality healthcare is a right and not a privilege.”
“We are grateful for elected officials and all of you who worked tirelessly to continue to advocate for healthcare for everyone,” said Holmes, who will become Affinia’s president and CEO later this year.
Congresswoman Cori Bush worked to direct $2 million to Affinia for the project, and she was on hand when the project was announced in May.
“We are doing the work to help close these disparity gaps, to help with equity in our communities,” Bush said.
“You have to do that starting with direct investment and another way to do that is to work with folks who do the work.”
Bush said north St. Louis County communities have long needed doctors closer to home.
“We just have a few [health centers] where people can go when they are uninsured or underinsured,” she said.
“Having that in every place is necessary, and it’s been a long time coming.”
O’Bryan said providing the community of Ferguson and other nearby towns with medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare is a part of community outreach, and the partnership between the “Y’’ and Affinia brings both the organizations “so much joy.”
Ferguson-Florissant School District Superintendent Joseph Davis said, “Healthcare is at the center of building community.”
Tim Helm, Gateway Region YMCA president and CEO says the partnership will expand and continue to build on the work in the community.
“The collaboration between the two entities displays the mission both the “Y” and the healthcare center have in common and that’s people first. This is really going to make a difference in the community, and that is what makes today special,” he said.
Ashley Winters is The St. Louis American Report for America reporter.