Health Department details Westside center initiative

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department this morning unveiled new services it will offer at the Westside Public Health Center.

The department announced earlier this year it would lease a portion of the center to Jordan Valley Community Health Center, where the organization opened a clinic for pediatric patients and their families. The health department relocated its immunization services from Westside, 660 S. Scenic Ave., to its main offices located in the Harold K. Bengsch Building at 227 E. Chestnut Expressway. At the time, the department was weighing plans to use part of the Westside building for new services.

This morning, department officials announced an initiative called the Nest Partnership, bringing nearby residents access to in-home case management services, special care consultation, Women, Infants and Children services, and parenting education in addition to Jordan Valley’s primary care, according to a news release.

Springfield Councilwoman Phyllis Ferguson is scheduled to speak at 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 12 for the formal unveiling of the program. The Westside center resides in her Zone 1 district.

“It gives me great satisfaction to be part of this collaborative endeavor that brings much needed health services into a northwest Springfield neighborhood,” Ferguson said in the release, pointing to services provided to residents of the Westside and Heart of the Westside neighborhoods.