Charles Drew Health Center Expansion: It Should Help Close a Gap in Care

By Michael O’Connor, Omaha World-Herald, Neb.

Dec. 3–Reducing health disparities for blacks and other minorities in Omaha is a key goal of an expansion project that doubled the size of the Charles Drew Health Center in north Omaha.

Richard Brown, the center’s chief executive, said prevention is a major focus. The additional space will enable the center to increase the number of patients it sees and the number of times they see doctors each year, he said.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the project, at 2915 Grant St., is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday.

A report this past summer from the Douglas County Health Department said that blacks have higher rates than whites of heart disease and other health problems.

The ability for the center to see more patients and see them more often will help the center close that gap, Brown said.

“The expansion allows us to have a greater impact on that,” he said.

The $4 million project, completed this fall, expanded the center by 13,500 square feet. The project was funded almost entirely by private money.

The additional space will enable the center to see about 13,400 patients annually, up from about 12,300. The center also will be able to increase the number of annual appointments by about 11 percent to 41,000, Brown said.

The added space gives the center 23 exam rooms, up from 12. There are now five rooms for dental work, up from three.

The pharmacy, lab and radiology department also have been expanded.

With the larger pharmacy, the center will have more space to store medications. That will enable the center to order larger quantities of drugs, which should reduce the center’s cost for purchasing them, Brown said.

The expansion also provided room for a nutrition center with a kitchen. That area is used for a six-week course where people learn about good eating habits and learn how to prepare healthy meals.

Patients are primarily low income, Brown said. About 70 percent are black, and about 60 percent do not have insurance.

Uninsured patients pay out of pocket on a sliding scale based on family size and income.

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