Finally a Health Care Clinic
Under-served north side patients are already making appointments for new primary care clinic that opens in October.
Nurse Kelly Campbell examines a patient. Campbell will manage the nurse practitioners at the Goldin clinic. (Photo by Maggie Quick)
If you’re hoping to get health care services at the new COA Youth and Family Centers Goldin Primary Care Clinic, you should make an appointment now, according to Kelly Campbell, the clinic’s adult nurse practitioner and nurse manager.
“I think … spots will fill up fast,” Campbell said. “People should get a foot in the door now.”
The clinic, at 2320 W. Burleigh St. in the Amani neighborhood is a collaborative effort of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Marquette University’s College of Nursing and COA Youth and Family Services. It is under construction and is set to open in October.
Interested community members interested in becoming a Goldin patient can call 277-8900 now to set up an appointment at the Downtown Health Center, 1020 N. 12th St., with a Marquette nurse practitioner. Patients will be able to make same-day appointments at Goldin once the clinic opens.
The partnership was born more than a year ago when COA surveys found that health care was a top need in the Amani community. At the same time, Children’s was looking to expand. The clinic will serve youth from birth to age 19 and their caregivers. Marquette was brought on to serve the adult patients.
The COA Goldin Center, W. Burleigh St. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
“The 53206 zip code has no health home currently for families,” said Mara Duckens, COA associate executive director. “There is a huge need in this neighborhood for quality service.”
Duckens said COA will be the landlord of the clinic and will collaborate with Children’s on holistic health education programming, which all three partners hope to highlight. A fitness center and nutrition classes already are available at Goldin.
Marquette will supply three family nurse practitioners, one pediatric nurse practitioner and one adult nurse practitioner for the clinic. This will be the first Children’s Medical Group community clinic to be run only by nurse practitioners, who can prescribe medications, physical therapy and outpatient therapy but not home care, Campbell noted.
“I truly believe that nurse practitioners in general and the nurse practitioners at Marquette in particular are really interested in the health education piece,” said Dr. Smriti Khare, president of Children’s Medical Group.
Campbell said she hopes to emphasize the importance of regular checkups for kids through the clinic’s health education. “When your kid is not sick and you have crisis in your life, getting them to their wellness appointment is not a primary concern.” She hopes that the clinic will combat that mentality by creating an easily accessible health home in the community.
“[There will be] a big focus on getting in for those exams and working to ensure kids get immunizations,” Campbell said. “We’re focused on a wellness model. We try to keep our people well rather than get them back to wellness.”
Once patients go to the clinic regularly and know their nurses, it will improve community health. “When you have a crisis they know who you are,” Campbell said. “Otherwise when you just go in for crises you’re starting from scratch.”
The five nurse practitioners also will work at a partner clinic from the collaboration at the Northside YMCA, 1350 W. North Ave. They will begin by working at one location for two days a week and the other for three days. Unlike at other Children’s clinics, community members can go to both clinics, and the staff will be the same.
“In so many ways this is such an innovative partnership between community centers,” Khare said. “But everybody has the same mission and goal. That’s what’s really going to help this neighborhood thrive and flourish; creating those partnerships.”
This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee.
