Celebrate National Health Center Week August 8 – 14!

(Honesdale, PA, August 5, 2021)…National Health Center Week, which recognizes close to 1,400 federally qualified health centers, including Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers (WMCHC), is meant to raise awareness about these unique entities. They are community-based healthcare providers that receive funding from the federal government to provide primary care specifically in underserved areas. They must meet stringent requirements, including offering a sliding fee scale for service. The Pike County Commissioners honored their local health center with a proclamation that put a special focus on the last year, saying in part, “…Community Health Centers serve as beacons of essential resources and support in testing and treatment in the face of the global Coronavirus pandemic, and will continue to offer reliable, affordable, high-quality care against COVD-19 .”  The commissioners and WMCHC Executive Director Frederick Jackson each acknowledged the “significant collaboration” between them, Wayne Memorial Hospital and other entities such as the Pike Emergency Management Agency in providing COVID-19 testing and vaccine distribution. WMCHC, a clinical affiliate of Wayne Memorial Hospital was launched in 2007. Today, it serves four counties and encompasses 16 primary care, women’s health, dental and behavioral health sites plus specialty practices and a VA Outpatient Clinic.  WMCHC sites include two in Pike County, one in Lords Valley and another in Dingmans Ferry.

The theme of National Health Center Week this year refers to health center care as
“The Chemistry for Strong Communities.”

Photo, l. to r.: Frederick Jackson; Wayne Memorial Public Relations Manager Lisa Champeau; Pike County Commissioners Ron Schmalzle, Matthew Osterberg and Steve Guccini