Southside UHC awarded millions
Southside United Health Center learned May 29 that it would receive $1.5 million a year for the next three years from the federal Health Resources Services Agency (HRSA), which works to improve access to health care by strengthening the health care workforce, building healthy communities and achieving health equity.
The mission of the Southside United Health Center, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit health organization, is to provide health care to all residents of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.
In 2006, six neighborhood associations advocated for the establishment of a a community clinic in the Southside, an area termed “medically-underserved.”
Southside UHC is located in the Southeast Plaza Shopping Center on Waughtown Street. Officials say the energy of its board transformed the lonely double-wide mobile office building into a welcoming community health center. The center now provides patient-centered primary care services to those who longed for quality, affordable health care.
In 2012, Southside UHC achieved Federally Qualified Health Center status, which, among other things, provided the means to hire quality medical staff. The center’s executive staff and its medical director, Dr. Richard Lord, partner with community health, education and human service agencies to address the health focus areas identified in The 2011 Community Health Assessment.
As part of its patient-centered philosophy, medical staff encourage new patients to make the clinic their medical home because they say it’s easier for doctors to positively impact chronic disease prevention when patients return for primary care, rather than utilizing local emergency rooms when they are ill.
Huntley
“In this continuously changing landscape of health care, we can now ensure that we will be here to provide our patient-centered care for years to come,” said Southside United Health Center CEO LaShun Huntley.
Board President Suzanne Newsome said, “The service area competition award is yet another confirmation by the federal government of Southside’s mission to serve the healthcare needs of people in Winston-Salem. The award represents a tremendous amount of hard work by many people who are dedicated to the idea that everybody can see a doctor when (he or she) needs to.”
