Community Health Center of Buffalo

Low-income and uninsured patients in Niagara Falls, New York had to rely on the emergency department of Niagara Falls Medical Center for primary and chronic care needs.

With the help of NYHealth, a satellite community health center was established next to the medical center through a partnership with the Community Health Center of Buffalo (CHCB) to provide primary care to 7,500 patients per year.

The inefficient and costly use of the medical center’s emergency resources for primary and chronic care was unsustainable. A comprehensive needs assessment and planning process determined that Niagara Falls lacked enough providers for uninsured and low-income patients. In order to provide easier access to primary care services, this grant allowed the Niagara Falls Medical Center to partner with CHCB to provide comprehensive primary and preventive care services for this underserved area. NYHealth supported personnel expenses during the start-up phase until-third party reimbursements generated sufficient revenues to sustain the clinic.