Chicago, IL – Wednesday, PCC Community Wellness Center (PCC) celebrated the grand opening of PCC Community Wellness Center at Steinmetz, its first school-based community health center. Located in Chicago’s Steinmetz College Prep High School, the facility provides access to comprehensive primary care and behavioral health services to residents of the Belmont-Cragin, Dunning and Montclare communities as well as Steinmetz high school students.
Facility staff includes two physicians, two advanced practice nurses, a registered nurse, a licensed clinical social worker, and other clinical and non-clinical support staff. Once the facility is operating at full capacity, PCC anticipates serving more than 4,000 patients annually. Elected officials who spoke at the event included: Luis Arroyo, State Representative, 3rd District; Alderman Gilbert Villegas, 36th Ward; and Alderman Nicholas (Nick) Sposato, 38th Ward; Mark Dietzen from U.S. Senator Mark Kirk’s office; and Nicole Harvey from U.S. Congressman Danny K. Davis’s office. Others who delivered remarks at the grand opening were: Robert J. Urso, president and CEO, PCC; Stephen Ngo, principal, Steinmetz College Prep High School; Jose Quiles, Local School Council Co-Chair; and Christopher Swanson, former Local School Council Chair.
“Opening this school-based community health center was a journey of more than three years,” said Urso. “In July of this year, our journey ended, and we opened our doors to the community and students in our newly constructed space. To date, PCC at Steinmetz has served 531 patients, totaling 1,432 medical and behavioral health visits. It was a journey of passion and persistence that ultimately led to triumph.”
PCC Community Wellness Center at Steinmetz is located at 3030 N. Mobile Avenue, Door #8, in Chicago. The facility’s hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Thursday from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. The number to schedule an appointment is 773-622-5679.
PCC was awarded a generous federal grant for the health center’s operational expenses from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in 2015. Renovations were made possible by a New Market Tax Credit Transaction. In addition to obtaining crucial funding for the project, PCC collaborated with various organizations, including Steinmetz College Prep High School, Chicago Public Schools, Alderman Gilbert Villegas and his staff, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Chicago, Northwest Housing Center, and Millennia Consulting. These strategic partnerships enabled PCC to establish this innovative school-based clinic.
