The grand opening of Corewell Health’s new Wellness Corewell Health Center in Benton Harbor took place.
The new 24,000 square foot facility at 133 West Main will provide Benton Harbor residents the opportunity to receive medical services without leaving the community. Nicky Brittain, director of health equity at Corewell, says the center has his four main focuses.
“The first is high blood pressure. Then there are health-related social needs as well. These are all these things that happen in life, like housing, utility assistance, food insecurity, work, and our health. “And we’re also focusing on the health, mental health and social cohesion of the mother and the infant.”
Corewell opened its first wellness center in 2020 in a separate building across the street to help residents during the pandemic. It was so successful that the grant to operate the facility ran out and it was decided to keep it open and move to a larger building. Construction of the new facility began in January last year.
Before 2020, Corewell had a presence in Benton Harbor through a partnership, Brittain said.
“Although we were not physically present, we were very present in the community. We had a network of so-called neighborhood-based help homes that were consistently present in various apartment complexes, barbershops, and any place where community members were likely to congregate. ”
Corewell is now able to provide medical services at a dedicated location in Benton Harbor. Brittain said this also comes with additional benefits.
“Just by being here and contributing and investing in this downtown. We currently have 20 new employees going out to lunch in various locations. More and more people are driving through the city and establishing a presence here. Revitalizing this Main Street corridor is one of the important ways our health system serves our communities. ”
New wellness centers often serve residents who previously did not receive medical care.
“We’ve been very intentional,” Brittain said. “Our staff is more reflective of the community and patients who are the target population we serve. This really helps establish a comfort level. , we’ve been really intentional over the last 10 years to listen more to our community and understand what they want and need.
The new Corewell Health Center for Wellness will offer health screenings, hypertension care, mental health counseling and maternal and child health programs. It also offers lifestyle services such as cooking classes, educational space, and a gymnasium.
