We create and sustain community coalitions to increase access to health providers.
The Health Foundation has a long history of dreaming big when it comes to bringing health care to the people who need it. This innovation began in the 1990s, when the Foundation lead a campaign to purchase the declining shopping center at West Park and convert it into medical office space.
Now, West Park Medical Campus is the premiere medical office space in Wilkes County, home to many different doctors’ offices and non-profit healthcare programs.
In 2018, seeing a growing need for creative meeting spaces for non-profits, The Health Foundation outfitted The Meeting Space @ 1901, next door to the Imaging Center, and made it available for free to local non-profit agencies needing a large meeting space. The room can accommodate up to 58 people seated. To schedule a tour of the room and its technologies, or reserve the space for use, contact Holly Bishop, Development Coordinator, at holly@healthywilkes.org or (336) 838-1949.
We also created the Outdoors Fitness Zone, behind Outpatient Rehab, with nine pieces of gym-grade equipment free for use by the public. Several of the pieces are handicapped accessible, and all have built-in diagrams showing you how to use it. The Zone is for use by anyone over the age of 14!
It’s also nestled at the head of one of our beautiful Greenway trails, maintained by the Yadkin River Greenway Council. The trail at West Park connects to downtown Wilkesboro, Smoot and Memorial Parks, and the Jefferson Turnpike.
If you’re interested in learning about leasing opportunities, contact Chris Smith, the Director of Finance and Property, at chris@healthywilkes.org or (336) 838-1949.
Other projects The Health Foundation has spearheaded fundraising for include:
The MESH (Mobile Expanded School Health) is a youth health center on wheels. MESH provides a wide range of health services: Sports physical exams, diagnosis and treatment of minor illnesses, limited laboratory tests, immunizations, health education and counseling, psychological screening, prescriptions for medications, referrals for nutrition counseling, and Mental Health services.
Health Foundation donors lead the charge in raising the money for the very first MESH bus over a decade ago and have continued to support the vital services the bus provides for working families who are often unable to leave work to take their children to doctor’s appointments. The MESH bus travels around the county and is frequently found at our area schools.
Health Foundation donors supported a grant to provide expanded mental health services to middle and high school students on the bus, eliminating an access to care barrier for many of our kids who most need help.
Call (336) 957-7043 or visit their website for more info or to schedule an appointment!
The Wilkes Public Health Dental Clinic is a poster child of success. Thanks to Health Foundation donors, who raised funds not only for the fixed site at West Park in North Wilkesboro but also for the Mobile Dental Clinic that travels around the county, Wilkes went from having one of the worst rates of untreated dental disease in children in North Carolina to one of the best.
The Dental Clinic has adult and pediatric practices, and accepts Medicaid, Health Choice, Vocational Rehab, BROC Head Start, private insurance, and self-pay patients. A sliding fee scale will be applied for self-pay patients.
Located in the 1915 building at West Park, The Health Foundation is pleased to provide that space for a reduced rent, enabling the program to serve more clients. The Foundation also lead the drive for the Mobile Dental Clinic Bus, which is able to help eliminate transportation barriers for folks needing dental care who can’t make it to the Park.
Call (336) 903-9399 or visit their website for more info or to make an appointment!
The Ruby Pardue Blackburn Adult Day Health Care Center has been successfully operating since 2008, after The Health Foundation and a cross-sector coalition worked to research, fundraise, and build the program.
The center is a safe, warm, caring place where the needs of both participant and caregiver are met. Participants are finding a place where they can enjoy being themselves, with all the comforts of home. Caregivers can leave their loved ones and feel rest assured that they will be nurtured in a protected, medically supervised environment.
Visit their website to read family testimonials, learn more about the center, and schedule a trial visitation for your loved one.
P.S. If you’re interested in becoming a part of the medical community of Wilkes County, North Carolina, consider applying for our Allied Health Professions Scholarship! For current or new health sciences students, these awards are $2,000 and may qualify for renewal.
