Description
Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center was founded in 1968 and was the first community health center in the State of Missouri. The Health Center serves more than 20,000 patients each year at seven sites throughout the northern one-third of Kansas City and rural Lafayette and Platte Counties in Missouri.
The clinics provide comprehensive outpatient primary care services consisting of adult medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, women's health, dentistry, and behavioral health. Ancillary services include laboratory and radiology, and pharmacy, while enabling services include interpreters, and patient transportation. Also offered is a full range of outreach and social services: education and screening for breast and cervical cancer; counseling and treatment for alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse; outreach and case management for pregnant women.
The Health Center serves a culturally diverse patient population. Located northeast of the Historic 18th and Vine district, The Health Center is accessible to neighborhood residents including individuals and families residing in nearby public housing family developments. The Health Center is located within one-half mile of one of the largest refugee resettlement facilities in the Midwest, so it is a point of entry to social and medical services for immigrants and those seeking political asylum from war-torn nations.
In the last ten years, the Health Center has noted a shift in its patient demographics. 2007 data show that the patient population is 22% African American, 27% Hispanic/Latino, 26% Caucasian, 4% Asian/Pacific Islander and 21% other ethnicities. One out of three Health Center patients are uninsured, while other patients are covered by Medicaid or Medicare.
