Open Cities Health Center Inc

Industry:	Hospitals & Clinics
Employees:	100

Description

OCHC expanded in 1972 to offer outpatient medical care including exams, minor emergency care, maternal and infant care, a well-baby clinic, podiatry, ophthalmology and hearing screens and moved to larger facilities at the Hallie Q. Brown-Martin Luther King Center.

Toward the end of the 70s, OCHC was established as a community health clinic and funding was granted under the Federal Urban Health Initiatives. OCHC was established as a 501c (3) nonprofit organization in 1981.

Mrs. Vann retired in 1983 and Dr. Beverley Oliver Hawkins replaced her as OCHC's new executive director. Under Hawkins leadership the clinic took a giant step forward when, in 1986, it moved into a newly constructed facility at the northeast corner of Fuller Avenue and Dale Street.

The clinic has a large multicultural, ethnically diverse client base and has continued to add services and specialists to respond to client needs including opening a prompt care clinic and adding a podiatrist and ophthalmologist. As OCHC has grown and has expanded service to other locations in neighboring areas it continues to provide a cost-effective way to meet the health needs of the community. OCHC currently provides care on a bilingual, multicultural basis and has staff members from varied cultural backgrounds.

Open Cities Health Center went through several major transitions in the last few years when:


OCHC expanded its capacity by moving to a new location at 409 N. Dunlap Street in St. Paul's Midway district. OCHC had previously leased a 10,000 square foot facility at 430 N. Dale Street however; as demand for its services grew, the space became too small and OCHC bought the building next to Central Medical Building, doubling its space to over 26,000 sq. ft. OCHC was able increase efficiency by adding exam rooms and decreasing the patient wait time. OCHC merged with the North End Health Center (located at 135 Manitoba on the corner of Rice Street and Manitoba) and thus greatly increased its service area. OCHC entered into an agreement to purchase substantially all of the assets of North End Health Center in September 2001. North End Health Center was founded in 1973 when church and community leaders recognized that the North End was lacking in basic health services for poor people. A community needs study revealed the growing incidence of venereal disease, increasing numbers of teen pregnancy and high levels of drug and alcohol abuse. OCHC changed its name to Open Cities Health Center to reflect the two long-time community clinics: Model Cities Health Center and North End Health Center. The new name creates a universal image and makes both clinics more recognizable to the communities they serve.

Due to the expansion and OCHC's two sites in St. Paul that are located on main bus routes and near major freeways the service area now covers four counties (Ramsey, Hennepin, Washington and Dakota) with the majority of patients coming from St. Paul, Minneapolis and St. Paul's northern suburbs.

Today Open Cities Health Center offers comprehensive health care to all individuals and families. Medical services include pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, family planning, adult care, geriatrics and internal medicine with specialists in dermatology, ophthalmology and podiatry. The family dentistry services include exams, x-rays, cleaning, dentures, partials and crowns, dental education and emergency walk-ins. The mental health department offers psychological and psychiatric evaluations, medicine management, case management, outreach, psychotherapy groups and support groups. Free HIV testing is also available. OCHC is open to everyone, including individuals and families without insurance. A sliding fee scale is also available.

OCHC also offers outreach and education through its Community Health Connection (CHC) program to address major health care issues particularly cancer, depression, diabetes, heart disease and infant mortality. The clinic recognizes that healthy residents make healthy communities and therefore there is a need to guarantee that residents have quality health care and preventive health care. The CHC program uses social workers, nurses, health educators and other staff to provide outreach and education that empower people to take charge of their health. The program concentrates on OCHC's target populations (African Americans, Southeast Asians and recent immigrants and refugees) due to the health disparities in these populations.

Open Cities Health Center is one of the largest nonprofit community health centers in the Twin Cities. Over 17,000 clients were seen at the clinic in 2004, which translates into over 56,000 visits. OCHC provides translators and offers many programs in both English and Hmong with a growing number in Somali.

While OCHC continues to grow and provide much needed services, it remains true to the stewardship of Mary Stokes and Mrs. Vann, dedicated community activists and humanitarians, and to its roots as the clinic that started in the basement of a church with volunteer help-offering health care to all those in need.