CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A state-of-the-art community wellness center is now open on the West Side of Charleston.
West Virginia Health Right opened its CommUNITY Wellness Center at 515 Central Avenue on Thursday, which includes four behavioral health offices, health education and community training space, childcare so parents can attend health appointments, a teaching kitchen, and an onsite gym.
Angie Settle, CEO, West Virginia Health Right told a large crowd gathered for the ribbon-cutting that the center will play an important role to increasing access to care in the community.
“Healthcare is more than taking medications, it’s a holistic approach with social determinants of health. It’s important to not only give out pills but to help people with their eating, exercise, education and behavioral health,” she told the media.
The center was built with help from a $1 million donation from UniCare Health Plan of West Virginia. UniCare officials, City of Charleston leaders, Kanawha County Commissioners, and local lawmakers all gathered for the event which included a dedication, tours and reception.
The donation also included West Virginia Health Right having a new mobile healthcare unit. The unit will provide routine primary care services, as well as HIV and Hepatitis C testing.
“We’re connecting with people including a lot of homeless people, people that need to get into drug treatment. We’re doing a lot of testing for HIV and Hepatitis C. We’re using this as a way to bring people in and lift them up,” Settle said.
The wellness center has opened a little more than nine months after the opening of West Virginia Health Right’s West Side comprehensive care clinic at the Five Corners intersection.
Settle said one of the things she’s most excited about is the teaching kitchen inside the center.
“When has individual cooktops in a massive kitchen so everybody can learn how to cook healthy, be able to replicate that at home for their diabetes or heart health. Also, organizations such as the Girl Scouts could use this space to train or a church could use this space,” she said.
