PRESS RELEASE

Plainfield Health Center Hosts Women’s Wellness Open House
May 20th Program in Honor of Women’s Health Month

For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 13, 2004-PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY- The Plainfield Health Center (PHC), one of eighteen Federally Qualified Health Centers in New Jersey, dedicated to providing cost effective primary health care and dental services for the residents of Plainfield and surrounding communities, announced that it will be hosting a Women’s Wellness Open House, in celebration of Women’s Health Month. The event will take place at the Plainfield Health Center, 1700 Myrtle Avenue, on the corner of Rock and Myrtle in Plainfield, in the Community Room. The hours are 9:00 AM to 10 AM for agencies, corporate partners and government entities, and 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM for the general public. Refreshments will be served.

The Plainfield Health Center’s roots are in women’s health care. In the mid 1960s the Center’s primary mission was to enroll pregnant women into early prenatal care in an effort to combat a near 30% infant mortality rate. That rate, now less than 10%, was significantly improved through good quality Ob/Gyn care at PHC. Today, women’s health is far more than prenatal and postnatal care. The Plainfield Health Center Ob/Gyn program, a combination midwifery/ physician model, incorporates the care needs of women at different stages throughout their lifetime. Whether an adolescent or senior citizen, the Plainfield Health Center’s Women’s Wellness program provides age appropriate care ranging from family planning to geriatric care, by board certified staff, in a state of the art medical facility.

“Too many women today are not taking care of themselves on a regular basis,” said Shirley White-Walker, Chief of PHC’s Midwifery program. “Our program focuses on caring for women, beyond pregnancy, and keeping them healthy, with services including family planning, regular mammograms, menopause counseling and treatment, and other screenings,” said Ms. White-Walker.

To learn more about PHC’s Women’s Wellness program, register for this Open House by calling 908.753.6401, extension 203.

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, and to the City of Elizabeth. Today, the Plainfield Health Center serves more than 21,000 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 2004