“In many instance, we may be the first health provider who has ever seen them,” she said.
Service offerings
There’s an affiliated School Health Alliance with a presence at four Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools — Cook Elementary, Hanes Middle and Carver and Parkland high schools.
The alliances provide medical, nursing, nutrition, mental health and health education services to both uninsured adults and children.
Those services include preventative care, care for minor illnesses, medication maintenance, immunizations, behavioral health and management of chronic health conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes and asthma. No-cost lab services and referrals to specialists are provided as needed.
Free testing and COVID-19 vaccine is available for uninsured people who have symptoms of COVID-19.
Listening, connecting
The clinic also partners with the Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods’ health-equity collaborative, which serves as a sounding board for underserved communities to “voice what they need and integrate it into our care.”
The focus on colorectal cancer screenings was among the main suggestions since those being screened has been low, Zimmer said.