Community Healthcare Center Clinic opens at Vernon College

Torin Halsey, Wichita Falls Times Record News
·2 min read

Although the clinic was in fact open and helping patients with Covid, the pandemic delayed the grand opening of a new satellite clinic for the Community Healthcare Center.

Friday morning, members of the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce Gold Coat Ambassadors, Vernon College and the Community Healthcare Center gathered for an official ribbon cutting for clinic that opened more than a year ago.

The 3,000 square-foot clinic is located at the Wichita Falls campus of Vernon College on Maplewood.

Patricia Ivey, a phlebotomist, works on blood samples in the lab at the Community Healthcare Clinic at Vernon College.
Patricia Ivey, a phlebotomist, works on blood samples in the lab at the Community Healthcare Clinic at Vernon College.

"It's an amazing partnership. It doesn't just benefit the patients but it benefits generations of this community for years, it's just going to be that kind of impact on the community," said Allen Patterson, CEO of CHC.

The clinic occupies space on the east side of the Vernon College building and is easily accessible with a separate entrance.

Community Healthcare Center CEO Allen Patterson and Vernon College President Dr. Dusty Johnston, center, prepare to cut the ribbon on the new clinic at Vernon College in Wichita Falls. The clinic has been open more than a year but pandemic restrictions prevented an earlier grand opening.
Community Healthcare Center CEO Allen Patterson and Vernon College President Dr. Dusty Johnston, center, prepare to cut the ribbon on the new clinic at Vernon College in Wichita Falls. The clinic has been open more than a year but pandemic restrictions prevented an earlier grand opening.

"We created a partnership to where we provide this space and they've done everything else. You see a very nice clinic today, it's very operational and has been up and running for about 18 months. To my knowledge it is doing a great job over here in this part of town and it's also available to not just community members but our students are community members, so that was one of the reasons I was very interested, it is here and it is available to Vernon College students that choose to use it," said Dr. Dusty Johnston, president of Vernon College.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Friday for the new Community Healthcare Center clinic at Vernon College off Maplewood in Wichita Falls. Covid precautions prevented an earlier ceremony when the clinic opened more than a year ago.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Friday for the new Community Healthcare Center clinic at Vernon College off Maplewood in Wichita Falls. Covid precautions prevented an earlier ceremony when the clinic opened more than a year ago.

The Community Healthcare Center offers a wide variety of services including pediatrics, family medicine, obstetrics, counseling, dentistry, telemedicine and more.

More: School-based community health center dedicated

In addition to the original clinic location downtown at 200 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, there are satellite clinics at 2412 Avenue H next to Zundy Elementary and T 1000A Juarez St., in addition to the new Vernon College site.

Established in 1992, Community Healthcare Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), Joint Commission Accredited and is a registered 501c(3) nonprofit. The Center serves residents of Wichita and 14 North Texas counties with family medical, dental, and behavioral health counseling services. Support services also include pharmacy, lab and x-ray.

More: Senator Cornyn tours Community Healthcare Center

Sliding fee discounts are available based on family size and income, regardless of insurance status. Medicare and Medicaid are welcome. More information about Community Healthcare Center can be found online at chcwf.com.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: CHC Clinic at Vernon College open