Congressman G.K. Butterfield was in Washington County Wednesday afternoon to cut the ribbon on the new Creswell Primary Care. The clinic which opened in April off Highway 64 in the former Washington County Medical Clinic building in Creswell eliminates the need for people to travel out of the area for healthcare. "People were traveling nearly an hour just to see a doctor," said Cole Phelps, Chairman Washington County Commissioners. "Today is a dream come true for our residents."
The Creswell clinic was funded by a $200,000 Golden LEAF grant which covered opening and operations, as well as a $25,000 planning grant by the Kate B. Reynolds Trust.
"This grand opening celebration is our way of saying 'thank you' to the many people who helped make this possible," said Kim Schwartz, CEO, Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center. "We've had tremendous community support."
Creswell Primary Care and RCCHC are part of North Carolina's Community Health Center Association. Serving federally-designated medically underserved areas and populations, community health centers provide coordinated primary and preventive services that promote reductions in health disparities for low-income individuals, racial and ethnic minorities, rural communities and other underserved populations. There are currently 38 centers serving more than 450,000 patients in 70 North Carolina counties.
"Community health centers like this are vitally important especially in areas like eastern North Carolina. Americans deserve quality healthcare. We've made great strides, but we have more work to do. There are still 40 million Americans without health insurance," said Congressman G.K. Butterfield.
RCCHC, an FQHC since May 2005, provides comprehensive primary care and pediatric services with locations in Ahoskie and Murfreesboro (Hertford County) and Colerain (Bertie County) North Carolina. As a designated community health and migrant center, RCCHC's mission is to provide comprehensive care that reduces health disparities for the Roanoke Chowan area.