Funding from Edward-Elmhurst health is enabling a new health center in Franklin Park to build community relationships and provide high-quality primary healthcare services to those who typically have trouble accessing healthcare.

Greater Family Health’s newest health center is now being supported through Edward-Elmhurst Health’s Community Investment Fund. In July 2022, Edward-Elmhurst Heath announced it had awarded $3,994,000 to 14 organizations across Cook, DuPage and Will Counties with the goal of advancing health equity and supporting local economic growth.

Twenty-one years ago, Greater Family Health began as one health center with six examination rooms; today, it operates 11 health centers throughout the state, providing integrated, high-quality, affordable primary healthcare services.

“We are an access point for people who traditionally have difficulty accessing care,” said Bob Tanner, the President and CEO of Greater Family Health.

Greater Family Health has built its newest health center in Franklin Park to address the community’s need for access to healthcare. The center has a family medicine physician, two physician assistants, a licensed clinical social worker and two laboratories. Patients have access to a range of healthcare services including family medicine, pediatrics, behavioral health, substance use disorder services and care management. The center also refers patients to other healthcare organizations like Edward-Elmhurst Health for specialty care.

“It offers primary healthcare for all ages, with multiple allied supportive systems in place as well,” said Tanner.

The center is open early and late to accommodate patients' work schedules and offers a sliding fee scale for qualifying uninsured patients.

"We will provide care regardless of the patient’s ability to pay,” said Tanner.

Since opening in July 2022, the health center is averaging 145 patients each week, 25% ahead of projections. At full capacity, the center can handle 450 to 500 visits per week.

The funding from Edward-Elmhurst Health will offset some of the costs of compensating the center’s medical practitioners. According to Tanner, Greater Family Health’s reimbursement is either very low or potentially nonexistent when dealing with publicly insured or uninsured patients.

“The contribution from Edward-Elmhurst Health makes a clear statement that they understand the value of Greater Family Health and the services we provide to complement what they provide,” said Tanner.

Tanner says the health center’s impact on the community is far-reaching, from helping ensure children are healthy enough to learn in the classroom to keeping parents well and able to work.

“Our goal is to establish a relationship with the community, create access to care for patients and help change the trajectory of their health status in the future,” said Tanner.

Learn more about Edward-Elmhurst’s Community Investment Fund partners.