News
August 11, 2016Whitney Young Health Unveils New Watervliet Health Center during National Health Center Week
This week Whitney M. Young Jr. Health Center unveiled, along with federal, state and local officials, the new Watervliet Health Center with an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony. The Watervliet facility offers medical, dental, and behavioral health services to adults and children residing in Watervliet and its surrounding communities. The office accepts most health and dental insurance plans and offers a sliding fee scale for those who are uninsured or under-insured. This is Whitney Young’s third community health center.
The health center uses a family practice staffing model for primary care to maximize the ability to engage patients and families across the life-cycle. In addition to providing primary care, dental care, diabetes counseling, and behavioral health services on-site, OB/GYN services will be added next year. “We are thrilled by the warm welcome we have received in Watervliet and look forward to being an integral part of this community,” says President & CEO David Shippee.
Watervliet Mayor Mike Manning adds, “Every single member of our community deserves access to quality healthcare, and by opening the doors to this Health Center, we have taken a step forward in making that a reality. This expansion will provide essential medical, dental and behavioral health services to so many of our friends and neighbors who previously had limited access to care. A sincere thank you to Whitney Young Health for helping to improve the health and wellbeing of so many residents and their families here in Watervliet, and we welcome you with open arms to our community.”
“Now more than ever we need the presence of an organization such as Whitney Young in our communities,” says Assemblymember John T. McDonald III. “When one looks across the medical landscape as I have in my medical background, it is solid primary care that has the largest gaps in providing effective health care in our communities. I have the distinct honor to represent Whitney Young in its other two locations in the Capital Region and have witnessed the great work they do day in and day out. I am confident that the presence in Watervliet will have a positive impact in the quality of lives for community members and beyond.”
“Whitney Young has always been committed to delivering high quality, affordable health care to its patients throughout the Capital Region from their offices in Albany and Troy,” says Senator Neil Breslin. “By expanding their footprint into Watervliet more patients will have access to their services and will now be able to receive the health care they need and deserve.”
In May 2015, Whitney Young was awarded a $600,000 federal grant by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HRSA) to help open and operate the new facility. Generous donations from First Niagara Bank Foundation, Review Foundation, Troy Savings Bank Foundation, JM McDonald Foundation, M&T Charitable Foundation, Fidelis Care New York, and Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Capital Region also help make this health center expansion possible. These donations went towards furnishing and equipping the new site. The contributions of our corporate and foundation partners continue to bear witness to the level of interest and the aspiration of many in the region to address the disparities in access to health care for many lower income area residents that struggle to find a health care home to meet their needs.
