GRAND OPENING COMMUNITY CELEBRATION OF COMMUNITY SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH CENTER IN LA PUENTE AT VILLACORTA ELEMENTARY
East Valley Community Health Center will hold a Grand Opening Community Celebration of its school-based health center on the Villacorta Elementary School campus on Wednesday, November 14, 2012 from 3:30PM – 5:30 PM. Senator Dr. Ed Hernandez will address the attendees, and he and other invited elected officials will participate in the planned community activities (i.e. Zumba, healthy snack making, arts & crafts, face painting). The Rowland Unified School District’s children’s mariachi group will perform at the event.
The vision for the East Valley School-Based Health Center began years ago, when East Valley management and Rowland Unified School District staff identified the crucial need for accessible, affordable health care services in this geographically-isolated location, especially for the many families without transportation. This vision became a reality when Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina introduced a motion that allowed the Department of Health Services to fund local community providers to establish neighborhood clinics that would serve as the medical home for local residents. The $875,000 clinic that was funded by various sources, primarily, a Capacity Expansion grant for $750,000 from the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, serves children and youth in the Rowland Unified School District community during school hours, and the community at large in the afternoon.
The East Valley school-based health center initially opened on May 15, 2012 at 20 hours per week (Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fridays from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.). On November 26, 2012 these hours will expand to include full week-day and Saturday hours. With the opening of the East Valley Health Center at Villacorta, services provided by Rowland Unified health staff are available five days a week. The RUSD Children’s Clinic at Northam Elementary will remain open offering immunizations, physical exams and minor treatments on Mondays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Located at 17840 E. Villacorta Street in La Puente, the Center provides services such as physicals, immunizations and treatment of childhood diseases; family practice services for adolescents and adults; prenatal care; gynecological care; and treatment of asthma, diabetes and hypertension. Staff are also available to assist individuals and families with enrollment in Medi-Cal and other insurance coverage programs for the uninsured.
One of the few in the East San Gabriel Valley, the Villacorta site joins the almost 200 school-based health centers (SBHCs) throughout the state of California. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius has said of SBHCs, “I can’t think of a better way to deliver primary care and preventive care to not only students but their families than through school-based clinics.”
Founded in 1970 by a group of concerned community members in the city of West Covina, East Valley Community Health Center has evolved from a free clinic that focused on family planning and counseling services into a comprehensive health care provider and since 2002, a Federally Qualified Health Center under Section 330 (e) of the Public Health Act. Via its two clinics in West Covina and Pomona, East Valley has emerged as a focal point for the coordination and delivery of health care services to the uninsured and underserved. Annually, East Valley provides over 85,000 patient visits to more than 32,000 individuals. Its mission is to provide quality and accessible comprehensive health care and health education services to the low-income and underserved populations of the East San Gabriel and Pomona valleys. For more information about East Valley Community Health Center call (626) 919-4333 or visit www.evchc.org.
The Rowland Unified School District is proud to serve 16,000 students at 20 elementary and secondary schools in the communities of Rowland Heights, Walnut, La Puente, City of Industry, and West Covina. More than 5,000 adults (16+) are also served by the Rowland Adult and Community Education School. For more information about Rowland Unified, call (626) 965-2541 or visit www.RowlandSchools.org.