Riverside County’s newly opened Community Health Center takes center stage during National Health Center Week

PALM SPRINGS — National Health Center Week, designed to highlight the services and contributions provided to communities through community health centers, was the backdrop used to showcase the county’s newly opened Community Health Center in Palm Springs.

National Health Center Week, August 8-14, highlights the services and contributions provided to communities through local centers.

National Health Center Week gives Health Centers a chance to bring light to the health needs in communities, like Palm Springs, and the shared stake in community health. It allows health centers to show not only what they do but how their model of care is offering solutions to the nation’s health care crisis. Health Center Week has become a powerful tool to rally public support for the Health Centers program. Public support and confidence in the programs translates into legislative victories, positive administrative policies and growing partnership with the public and private sectors so that Health Centers can serve greater needs and lead this nation to a more equitable health delivery system for all people.

This year’s theme is “The Chemistry for Strong Communities.” It’s a fitting theme for the new Palm Springs facility, which is located at the northwest corner of E. Tahquitz Canyon Way and N. Sunrise Way, at 191 North Sunrise Way in Palm Springs. It is open 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Community Health Center Shines in Spotlight

The new center brings health, dental and behavioral health services into a single location for all individuals in need, regardless of ability to pay. The center is operated by the Riverside University Health System, which operates 13 community health centers throughout Riverside County.

Services include: primary care, pediatric care, reproductive care, prenatal care, well visits, sick visits, same-day visits, nutrition visits, dental care, case management, pharmacy, radiology. Behavioral health services include therapy, peer support, psychiatry, substance use counseling and wraparound services. Public health services include WIC (Women, Infants, and Children), nursing, disease control, and HIV/STD testing.

The Palm Springs facility and all RUHS Community Health Centers offers the COVID-19 vaccine, by appointment. The vaccine is safe, effective, free of charge and saves lives. Getting fully vaccinated provides a very high level of protection against COVID-19, reducing the risk of serious illness, hospitalization and death. Vaccine appointments can be made via the COVID-19 Vaccine Phone Line, 1-800-945-6171.

The center started serving patients in June. At 35,000‑square‑feet, the new facility is triple the size of the Palm Springs Family Care Center it was built to replace. The larger space offers additional health care options such as dental care that were not previously provided at the former location.

“This is National Health Center Week, and it is important that we recognize that,” Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “The mission of community health centers is to ensure that everyone has access to health care in their own communities. I am proud of the fact that we have opened up this new clinic, and let’s continue to build more.”

For information on health care services, call the center at 760-778-2210.

Image Sources

  • Palm-Springs-Community-Health-Center-Photo-2-from-Riverside-University-Health-System: Supervisor Perez
  • Palm Springs Community Health Center: Supervisor Perez's office