Contributed Story
AHOSKIE – The Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center (RCCHC) has been awarded $1 million in capital funding by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to substantially enhance its Colerain Primary Care Center.

Colerain Primary Care, located at 109 W River Street in Colerain, will undergo building expansion that will add 3,376 square feet that will include an in-house pharmacy, four additional exam rooms, a dental operatory (staffed with a public health dental hygienist), and a designated space for behavioral health and nutrition/patient education. The project is certain to better address the needs of the area population and enhance the care Colerain Primary Care is able to provide to area citizens.

The improvements will also stretch outdoors, adding a large number of parking spaces, more handicapped parking spaces and a new entrance with an automatic door opener for ambulance access. In addition, more medical providers will be brought on staff to meet the health demands of the area population.

Kim Schwartz, CEO of RCCHC, expressed her eagerness for work to get underway.

“It is so exciting to see the future unfold for our Colerain clinic…the wonderful community of Colerain along with the Bertie County Commission, Vidant Health and the Albemarle Health Department have been so supportive of helping us increase access to quality primary care,” she stated. “By HRSA providing $1 million in capital funding, we will be able to expand this access to include an in-house pharmacy enabling our patients and future patients ready availability to affordable medications. In addition, we will be adding space for an additional primary care provider and behavioral health services, and be able to give the Colerain Nutrition and Senior Center much needed additional space. This is a necessary investment for Colerain and the surrounding communities and I am thrilled beyond words.”

The project will soon be underway, and Colerain Primary Care will remain open during improvements. Colerain Primary Care is open Monday-Friday (Monday 8 am-7 pm, Tuesday 8 am-5 pm, Wednesday 8 am-7 pm, Thursday 8 am-5 pm, Friday 8 am-4 pm). Colerain Primary Care is closed on Saturdays and Sundays, but RCCHC operates on Saturday at Ahoskie Comprehensive Care from 8 am until 12 noon for all patients.

RCCHC has three primary care locations, including Colerain Primary Care, Murfreesboro Primary Care, and Ahoskie Comprehensive Care.

For more information about Colerain Primary Care and RCCHC, visit rcchc.org.