New Friends of Children Health Center facility open for business

      

           After 14 years of treating patients on the grounds of nearby Las Lomas Elementary School, the Friends of Children Health Center has opened its doors in a brand new, more spacious treatment facility. Its new home is on the first floor of the Institute for Healthcare Advancement’s Barnett Center, located at 501 South Idaho Street in La Habra. Phone number for the new clinic is (562) 690-0400.

For the clinic, which provides free and low cost medical and dental services to uninsured children, the move means a tripling of its medical treatment capacity in the new location with 9 state-of-the-art exam rooms, instead of the 3 at the previous facility, and 3 dental treatment chairs rather than its previous 2.

     

The Friends of Children clinic provides nearly 20,000 medical visits and 6,000 dental visits annually to uninsured children in need of health care and dental services.  With a staff that includes pediatricians, pediatric and family practice nurse practitioners, pediatric dentist, and dental hygienists, the clinic is open Monday through Saturday each week for medical and dental appointments.     

"Over the past decade our clinical operation has grown by leaps and bounds," said Gloria Mayer, R.N., Ed.D, president/CEO of the IHA, which sponsors the Friends of Children,  "We are thrilled to be able to open our doors to the community and offer them this terrific new clinical space and services right here in La Habra."

      

The new health care delivery space at the three-story Barnett Center was designed with the pediatric patient in mind, with an underwater-themed decor throughout and interactive play stations for the children in the waiting room.  Several rooms have fun ocean-creature exam tables, such as a turtle and whale.

It is the only clinic that is able to provide a pediatrician to its young patients in the city of La Habra.  In addition to treating community residents on a sliding scale and providing ongoing health education classes, the clinic began accepting private health plan insurance and Medi-Cal’s Healthy Families members in the past year further facilitating its growth. We also have a CAAs (Certified Application Assistants) available to help families sign up for insurance programs for which they are eligible. The clinic accepts most insurance plans, and sees patients for a small fee or for free if needed.

"At a time when health facilities are dwindling at an alarming rate in Southern California, it's that much more important for us to continue to expand these health services for our community's residents," said Dr. Mayer.

The Institute for Healthcare Advancement is a La Habra-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to empowering people to better health.  For more information about the clinic, please call (562) 690-0400.