Press Releases
DATE: 11 Aug. 2009
RELEASE NO: 09-26
Sen. McCaskill visits Grace Hill
National Health Center Week focus of event
U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, (D-Mo) meets Elma Buie, Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Centers' Dental Business Manager, during a tour of Grace Hill's Murphy-O'Fallon Health Center Aug. 11. Sen. McCaskill was at the health center as a part of National Health Center Week. Photo by Linda L. Williams.
By Mr. Gerald Sonnenberg
Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Centers, Inc.
ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- In honor of National Health Center Week, Aug. 9-15, 2009, U.S. Senator from Missouri Claire McCaskill visited Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Centers’ (GHNHC) Murphy-O’Fallon Health Center at 1717 Biddle on Aug. 11. After a brief statement by GHNHC President and CEO Alan Freeman, Sen. McCaskill addressed staff, patients, guests, and the media.
“A center like this is on the front lines,” she said. “Right now you are filling the gaps, you are doing what you can do, and you are keeping a smile on your face. You are providing essential health care for the thousands, and thousands, and thousands of people in St. Louis who have no place else to turn. For that, God bless you all.”
Following her remarks, Sen. McCaskill was given a tour of several areas of the health center to meet various staff members and patients.
According to the National Health Center Week website, www.healthcenterweek.org, the second week of August each year is dedicated to recognizing the service and contributions of community, migrant, homeless, and public housing health centers in providing access to affordable, high quality, cost-effective health care to medically vulnerable and underserved people in the U.S. This year’s theme is “Celebrating America’s Health Centers: Where ACCESS and QUALITY CARE Begin.” It highlights the record of Health Centers in providing affordable, high quality, cost-effective health care.
America's Health Centers serve 18 million people (including 925,000 farm workers and nearly 940,000 people who are homeless) in 7,000 communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam.
A part of St. Louis for more than 100 years, Grace Hill Health Centers, Inc. (GHHC) is a federally qualified health center and provides low-cost, primary and preventive health care at six locations to primarily low-income and uninsured residents in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County. GHHC is accredited through the Joint Commission.
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