For North Bergen resident Glenys Munoz, the North Hudson Community Action Corporation’s North Bergen site makes a big difference.
“I like this clinic,” Munoz said as she sat in the waiting area last week. “The people are so nice. Every time they help me. The doctors are very good.”
When the government-funded North Hudson Community Action Corporation began to operate its North Bergen Health Center in the early ’90s, it amounted to a little more than a room with one doctor.
“We had a well-child clinic upstairs,” said Mayor Nicholas Sacco last week. “We knew we needed to serve the public; we just didn’t know how to do it.”
“[This clinic] is important for the poor people, who don’t have so much money.” – Glenys Munoz
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When the NHCAC (headquartered in West New York) contacted North Bergen, stating that they were looking to open a satellite location in the area, everything fell into place.
Where ambulances once stood is now where the North Bergen Health Clinic exists. Both children and adults are now seen by two doctors, nurses, and other medical technicians.
First to receive award
NHCAC decided this year to begin a President’s Recognition Award, and the North Bergen site was the first to receive the honor on Feb. 2.
NHCAC C.E.O. and Union City Commissioner Christopher Irizarry said that health workers had 10,342 patient visits in 2009. In 2006 the clinic saw 8,912 patients.
“We’re here to celebrate a great feat that was accomplished by this tiny, tiny health center,” said Irizarry.
Reaching the people
Office Manager Marisol Rivera said that when she began working at the clinic nine years ago, they only had one doctor and a much smaller staff.
Now their goal is to see 10,500 patients in 2010, said Rivera.
Sacco said that the clinic was needed, since North Bergen’s population is estimated at about 60,000.
Irizarry said that mid-year, they are hoping to institute electronic medical records, which should make them an even more efficient organization.
Dedicated doc
Dr. Flordeliz Panem was a resident when she was put in rotation in North Bergen. When she was notified of a job opening, she applied, and has been at the center since 2005.
Panem said that she tries to see 23 patients a day, but she also spends extra time returning phone calls and working at other sites on the weekends.
She said that she was offered another job, but decided to stay with NHCAC because she feels that she has more of an impact on her community.
She said that whether it is recommending a generic drug that her patient can afford, educating them, or making sure they know what their medicine is for, she knows she is making a difference.
“We see our patients and we really spend time with them,” said Panem.
Helping those in need
Irizarry said that people who are losing their jobs and health benefits have been using the clinic, but that there has been a slow trend in growth over the years. He said health care was becoming more and more unaffordable, which in turn was making Hudson County residents turn to NHCAC.
Anna Gonzalez, R.N., began working at the clinic 14 years ago. She said that since the economic downturn, a lot of people who come into the clinic after losing their insurance are not aware of what is available to them. Gonzalez said that they have helped people receive everything from affordable mammograms and other health procedures that a person without insurance would not be able to afford.
“[This clinic] is important for the poor people, who don’t have so much money,” said Munoz.
For more information call (201) 330-2632.