PRESS RELEASE

Plainfield Health Center Opens "The Healthy Place"
Extends School Based Program to the Elementary Grades

For Immediate Release: Monday, January 22, 2001-PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY- The Plainfield Health Center, one of twelve Federally Qualified Health Centers in New Jersey, dedicated to providing cost effective primary health care services for the residents of Plainfield and surrounding communities, announced today the opening of a new elementary school based health center at the Washington School. The center, named The Healthy Place, has been opened in conjunction with the Plainfield Board of Education.

The goal of The Healthy Place is to help improve access to primary healthcare services for the children of Plainfield. Also, encouraging healthy lifestyle choices and promoting disease prevention will improve the overall health of Plainfield children.

Today, The Healthy Place provides primary care services to students enrolled at Washington School, and outreach services, including immunizations, health education and screenings to any student at Clinton School, Stillman School and Jefferson School. The Healthy Place is opened Monday through Friday from 8:00AM to 4:00PM. Appointments are required but the center will do all possible to accommodate urgent care needs. Most private insurance plans and HMOs, as well as Medicaid are accepted.

"The Plainfield Health Center has been a leader in providing school based health care at the High School level," said Julane Miller-Armbrister, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We believe it is extremely important to extend the program to younger children in the elementary grades."

The Healthy Place can be reached at 908-731-4228.

About The Plainfield Health Center

The Plainfield Health Center, incorporated as the Plainfield Neighborhood Health Services Corporation, was born in 1969 under the auspices of the 1960's Model Cities Neighborhood Program. Led by a dedicated group of community activists, the Center was initially created to provide accessible health care to the residents of the West End of Plainfield.

Since then, the Center has grown, added more services, increased the number of specialties of professional health staff, and expanded its reach to the entire City of Plainfield and neighboring communities. Today, the Plainfield Health Center serves more than 16,000 patients annually. Its total care program provides adult medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, adolescent medicine, school based services, dentistry and ancillary support services.

copyright © PHC 2002