Children's Hospital, Marquette team up to open new clinics

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Children's Hospital and Marquette University are partnering up to provide health clinics to under-served communities. The new Children's Hospital Primary Care Units are aimed at serving children, newborn to 19 years old, and their caregivers.

Two clinics scheduled to open in October of this year will be at the Northside YMCA and COA Goldin Center on Burleigh Street. The clinics will be managed and staffed by nurses from Marquette University College of Nursing. Officials behind the project say they will open up options for family health care in areas that right now don't have many.

“Health care access is a huge problem. We do know that the closer care is provider to the homes of the children, the better they are going to be able to receive that,” said Dr. Smriti Khare, the president of Children's Medical Group.

"The first word that would come to my mind is excitement -- just because this is a much needed commodity for this particular community,” said Shanee Jenkins, the executive director of the Northside YMCA.

Jenkins said the facility wasn`t chosen at random. More than two years of research and meetings went into it all, and better access to health care is what the community asked for.

“I`ll give the example of immunizations. Sometimes that`s a barrier as it relates to kids getting ready for school. That will not be a barrier anymore with children`s right here on site,” said Jenkins.

Officials with Children's Hospital say they hope this is just the beginning.

“We`d like this to be more than just a medical clinic. We want to be part of their community and help with health education in the community,” explained Dr. Khare.

Both facilities already have the room for the clinics, so no additions will have to be built. Still, hospital officials say there still is a lot of work to do to get the clinics ready to open this fall.