With Auburn being named one of this year’s winners of the state Downtown Revitalization Initiative award, I would like to congratulate the mayor, city councilors, Cayuga Economic Development Agency and, most importantly, the residents of the city of Auburn. I would also like to extend my sincere appreciation for offering East Hill the opportunity to submit a project as part of the DRI application.
East Hill Family Medical is a federally qualified health center, and as such receives federal funding annually to ensure that everyone, regardless of ability to pay, has access to high-quality primary medical and dental care. Community health centers use a holistic approach to patient care, treating the entire person by integrating mental health, oral health, substance use disorder and primary medical care services. Today, nearly 1,400 health centers are funded, operating more than 11,000 service delivery sites in communities across the country.
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East Hill, your community health center, began as the Cayuga Family Planning Center in 1971 and has grown to include pediatrics, adult primary care, dentistry and family planning and reproductive health. More than 10,000 families receive care from East Hill each year, rendering more than 30,000 patient visits annually. Those patients who require specialized testing, surgery or visits to a specialist are referred almost exclusively to Auburn Community Hospital and its associated physician group, keeping health care local as much as possible.
Over the past two years, East Hill has rededicated itself to the provision of high quality health care. Each day, staff and clinicians work hard to create an exceptional patient experience for all — because everyone deserves great health care. Recently, East Hill achieved certification as an Advanced Primary Care Center, a designation bestowed upon health care providers in New York state with excellent quality measures and systems. Achieving this designation normally takes more than a year, but East Hill’s team was able to accomplish that goal in just five months.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo came to Auburn less than two weeks ago to announce the city was the latest…
Located in the heart of downtown, the Metcalf Plaza, East Hill’s headquarters, is an aging infrastructure. The $1.5 million project that was included in Auburn’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative application envisions more modern clinical spaces, equipment, furnishings and a more inviting exterior. Auburn is fortunate to have a downtown medical center providing day and evening access to health care within a short distance of the homes of a large portion of the population. The downtown revitalization award will supplement a larger, proposed multi-million-dollar reconstruction project that will transform the 52,000-square-foot Metcalf Plaza into a modern, upscale and inviting mixed-use facility, contributing meaningfully to the resurgence already underway in downtown Auburn.
In small cities and communities across the country, health care centers are often major economic drivers. Beyond bolstering the workforce with good-paying jobs, they contribute substantially to healthier communities, fighting every day to ensure that friends and neighbors get well and stay well. Health is a vital part of any successful community.
With 47 years under its belt, East Hill Family Medical is focused on a bright future, and is recommitted to ensuring the best health care possible for anyone in the community.
