AACCC expands services with new facility at Pitino Shelter
Local and state officials, health care professionals and community members gathered on the front porch of the Daniel Pitino Shelter on Monday for the ribbon-cutting ceremony of Audubon Area Community Care Clinic’s newest facility located inside the nonprofit organization in an effort to enhance access to health and behavioral health services for vulnerable populations.
According to a press release, the clinic will “specifically focus on delivering quality, integrated health care to low-income, vulnerable and homeless individuals” by offering services to patients who are newly sober, HIV or hepatitis C positive, refugees, individuals suffering from addiction and migrant workers.
The new clinic — which will serve residents of the shelter and its surrounding neighborhood — marks the opening of AACCC’s third primary brick-and-mortar facility, along with the clinics located in each school within the Owensboro Public Schools district.
It is also the first AACCC facility to be located in the west end of Owensboro.
“We live in a world where health care is often seen as a privilege, but today we’re taking a powerful step towards making it a right for everyone regardless of their circumstances,” said Samantha Taylor-Kaai, AACCC clinic program director. “The people who will walk through the doors of this clinic have often faced unimaginable hardships and, for many of them, the basic right to health care has been out of reach for far too long.
“Homelessness is not just a housing crisis, but also a public health crisis. The stress and instability that comes with not having a home can lead to serious health problems both physical and mental,” Taylor-Kaai said. “But today, we’re saying something different.”
“My fellow board members and I, as well as our staff and providers, feel that everyone deserves access to health care,” said Michael Johnson, AACCC board chair, “… By providing a health care clinic with quality services in this underserved community, Audubon Area is closing the gap on the medically underserved and therefore making this community more healthier, stronger and better.
Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman touted the “momentous occasion” and the newly formed partnership between AACCC and the Pitino Shelter.
“… Success doesn’t happen in a vacuum, it doesn’t happen overnight; and working together is how we solve the biggest challenges facing our communities — and that is exactly what we’re here celebrating today,” Coleman said Monday.
In January, it was announced AACCC received a three-year $275,000 grant from the Kentucky Association of Health Plans, which helped in renovating an existing space within the shelter to create a clinical exam room that will be able to run full-scale labs and dedicated reception and triage areas.
“We work tirelessly to strengthen the accessibility, value and quality of health care for all Kentuckians,” said Tom Stephens, president and chief executive officer of KAHP, the trade association representing Medicaid-managed care organizations and commercial health insurers throughout the state. “… Today makes a significant step forward in our … efforts to improve health care access in Owensboro.
“This clinic is more than just a new medical facility; it’s a beacon of hope and a testament of what we can achieve when we work together,” Stephens said. “… We’re not just opening a clinic; we’re removing barriers to health care.”
According to the press release, the clinic is for patients with and without insurance and also provides a sliding fee scale to ensure affordable care based on household size and income.
“This is really going to help us get back to our roots of really getting in, and serving the homeless community and meeting their needs where they are,” Taylor-Kaai said. “… Our ultimate hope and goal for this clinic is really to bridge the health care gap.”
By Freddie Bourne Messenger-Inquirer