In mid-December, Packard Health West moved to 1915 Pauline Blvd. after St. Joe’s vacated its former building at Maple and Miller. The hospital closed its outpatient center there when the new IHA building on Jackson Rd. opened last summer.
Since many patients come from affordable housing complexes nearby, “we were looking to be close to the old neighborhood,” says Packard Health executive director Ray Rion. “We wanted to be on the bus line.” The new space is “a little bit more expensive,” but it’s also bigger, allowing the clinic to add a social worker and a psychiatric nurse.
Packard Health’s big worry now is the fate of the Affordable Care Act. Obamacare’s been a boon to the clinic, and Rion says about 30 percent of their patients stand to lose coverage if it’s repealed. The nonprofit remains committed to providing medical care to all who need it, he says, but “it would be a really big challenge” if Congress follows through with the threatened repeal.
