Citronelle Health Center holds open house Oct. 24

Celebrating the re-opening of the Citronelle Health Center included, from left to right,
Mobile County Health Department Health Officer Dr. Bernard Eichold, clinic
administrator Johndra Lewis, Citronelle Mayor J. Albert McDonald and Pastor
Marcus Hobbs of Living Word Church. The center re-opened after a renovation
paid for with a $500,000 Affordable Care Act grant.
 

CITRONELLE, Ala. -- The Family Oriented Primary Health Care Clinic’s Citronelle Health Center, a division of the Mobile County Health Department, recently reopened to patients after undergoing half a million in refurbishments. The $500,000 came from an Affordable Care Act Grant for Capital Development, announced in April 2012 by then U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin.

 

An open house to welcome the community back to the health center was held 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 24 in Citronelle. About three dozen community members and staff attended the event held at the renovated site.

 

The Citronelle Health Center’s offices were relocated for about four months while the 1940s era building on Mobile Street underwent massive renovations that transformed the clinic into a state-of-the-art facility offering pediatric care, women’s health, as well as family planning and adult care, said Johndra Lewis, an administrator with MCHD.

 

The 3,200 square foot medical clinic is open on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Medical provider Japonica Owens is accepting appointments at the center.

 

The medical practice has been modernized with all new equipment and now features six exam rooms, is handicap accessible and includes a kiosk to assist with enrolling patients in insurance programs. The waiting room, which has been restructured for better flow, includes a flat screen television to improve the patient experience, Lewis said.

 

The health center also is home to the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) supplemental nutrition program in Mobile County that offers vouchers for nutritious food to low- and moderate-income nursing mothers and children up to age 5.