Downtown Health Plaza of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center will open an after-hours clinic at night and on weekends as the result of a grant from the North Carolina Office of Rural Health and Community Care.
The grant is for $175,000 for each of the next three years, enabling Wake Forest Baptist to open Downtown Health Plaza until 8 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday mornings and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday afternoons beginning no later than May 1.
“These extended hours will help improve the health of the community, because access to primary care providers is a significant barrier to health maintenance and high quality care,” said Donny Lambeth, president of North Carolina Baptist Hospital. “The longer hours will be especially important to working families.”
Downtown Health Plaza is a community service of Wake Forest Baptist. “The quality and range of their medical services is a significant benefit to the community,” added Lambeth.
The after-hours clinic will offer pediatric and general internal medicine services, by appointment. Patients will be referred based on their medical need. Patients should call 713-9800 to speak to a nurse who can evaluate their needs. Every effort will be made to see patients who request an appointment on the same day as requested.
Downtown Health Plaza provides comprehensive primary and prevention services, including pediatrics and OB-GYN, to the public. In 2009, more than 61,000 patients were treated at DHP.
Specialty services, such as diabetes management, dermatology, gastroenterology, hypertension management, neurology, pulmonary care, kidney disease management and outpatient surgery, are also offered. In addition, Downtown Health Plaza has a pharmacy, lab and imaging equipment.
Wake Forest Baptist opened Downtown Health Plaza in 2000 to improve the health of the local community, including under-served and needy populations. The 47,000-square foot building is located at 1200 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive in Winston-Salem.
Media Relations
Jonnie Rohrer: news@wakehealth.edu, 336-713-4587
Bonnie Davis: bdavis@wakehealth.edu, 336-713-1597