Buffalo, NY – Yesterday, Neighborhood Health Center was joined by fellow Western New York community leaders in health, local elected officials, stakeholders and surrounding community members to unveil its newly constructed patient suite at the Health Center’s ‘original’ office on 155 Lawn Avenue. The newly constructed “Suite B” at Neighborhood Health Center’s Northwest office includes five patient exam rooms, a second clinical working station and an in-office patient consultation area to help build upon the practice’s capacity in meeting the community’s growing need for primary healthcare. The $.5 Million Neighborhood Health Center Northwest expansion project was made possible by a $250,000 grant from The John R. Oishei Foundation, as well as contributions and support from individual donors. With the recent expansions, the office is now home to more than 30 patient exam rooms, increasing capacity for the office by more than 15 percent.

Formerly known as the Northwest Buffalo Community Health Care Center, Neighborhood Health Center is a nonprofit organization and Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that provides medical, dental and behavioral health services to all, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. With four offices practice-wide, the agency has upheld a presence in the region for more than 30 years, growing to become the oldest and largest FQHC in Western New York.

“Our reputation of providing quality healthcare precedes us as we have consistently outperformed state and national benchmarks for high quality primary care and for patients with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma, hypertension, obesity, tobacco use, depression and cervical cancer screenings, said Joanne Haefner, Chief Executive Officer for Neighborhood Health Center. “We’re finding a need to continue this work as much as we can, and our recent growth initiatives that have taken place over the years, including here at our Northwest office, is a testament to the increasing demand for growth of our practice.”

Housed in the Northwest Buffalo Community Center, Neighborhood Health Center’s Northwest office welcomes more than 120 patients daily and currently offers adult care, pediatric/adolescent care, obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), dental health, behavioral health, nutritional services and podiatry services.

Neighborhood Health Center raised more than $325,000 for the Northwest expansion, including a substantial grant in the amount of $250,000 from The John R. Oishei Foundation in support of its work as a primary care safety-net provider for the residents of Buffalo’s Blackrock and Riverside communities.

“It is critical to promoting a state of health in our communities that excellent care is available close by, from trusted providers, working in state-of-the-art facilities,” said Paul Hogan, Executive Vice President of The John R. Oishei Foundation. “Keeping people well, or helping them manage chronic conditions on a regular basis, is far more desirable and effective than treating people after illness has progressed. Neighborhood Health Center is a premier example of this care, and the Foundation considers their work to be central to our own.”

Currently with more than 60 medical, dental and social work providers across the practice’s four offices, Neighborhood Health Center is projected to provide care to more than 26,000 patients through more than 100,000 visits this year.

The Northwest site is one of four offices in the organization’s network of Health Centers which also include: Neighborhood Health Center – Blasdell (4233 Lake Avenue, Blasdell, NY 14219); Neighborhood Health Center – Mattina (300 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY 14201); and Neighborhood Health Center – Southtowns (151 Elmview Avenue, Hamburg, NY 14075).

Among the public officials attending today’s ribbon cutting were: Erie County Department of Health Commissioner, Dr. Gale Burstein, City of Buffalo Common Councilmember Joseph Golombek (North District), Bonnie Lockwood of U.S. Representative Brian Higgins’ office and New York State Assemblyman Robin Schimminger (140th District).

Neighborhood Health Center at Northwest is open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Evening appointments are available on Mondays and Wednesdays until 8:00 p.m. Appointments can be made by calling the Northwest office at (716) 875-2904.