Matilda Theiss Health Center

373 Burrows Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-383-1575

The Matilda Theiss Health Center, whose physicians are faculty members of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, provides primary health care services across the life span. Located in Oakhill, the center offers well child and adult physical examinations, chronic disease screening and management, immunizations, minor surgery, reproductive health services, prenatal care and deliveries and same-day appointments for acute conditions. Patients can take advantage of the onsite medication dispensing service and medication counseling by pharmacy residents and can participate in smoking cessation programs and diabetes support groups. Low-income, uninsured patients can receive medical and dental care, as well as medications at a reduced cost using a sliding fee discount. A full-time, licensed social worker provides counseling and support services, and a variety of research studies are made available to patients. The center is the only federally qualified health center (FQHC) in the UPMC health system.

(FQHCs provide comprehensive primary care services with a variety of special support services meant to reduce barriers to care. FQHCs serve all people, regardless of ability to pay or insurance status, and operate on a sliding fee based on income. They are governed by a community board, which derives a majority of its members from those who receive care at the health center and who represent the population served.)

Primary Care Health Services, Inc

Alma Illery Medical Center

7227 Hamilton Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA  15208

412-244-4700

Alma Illery Medical Center was one of the first community health centers in the country. The center opened in 1968 as the Homewood-Brushton Neighborhood Health Center with federal funding from the Office of Economic Opportunity. In 1977, a new entity took over the center’s management and changed the name to Primary Care Health Services (PCHS). The board of directors later renamed the Homewood site Alma Illery in honor of the social change leader and native Pittsburgher who established Camp Achievement, a summer program for inner-city youths. Over the years, 12 additional sites were added to the PCHS network. The organization provides adult medicine, pediatrics, pharmacy, dental and social services, as well as specialty services, including obstetrics, podiatry, minor surgery, urology, and psychiatry to its 30,000 patients. The sliding fee program bases payment on household income and family size giving eligible families with no insurance or those who are underinsured access to medical care for as little as $10 (in-house laboratory and x-ray included). The PCHS Inc. umbrella also includes a residential housing program and the Wilkinsburg Family Support Center.

East Liberty Family Health Care Center

6023 Harvard Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15206

412-661-2802

East Liberty Family Health Care Center began in 1982 in the basement of Eastminster Presbyterian Church in East Liberty. From the beginning, the center has been faith-based, providing whole-person care to all, especially those who are poor and vulnerable. As a federally qualified health center, East Liberty Family Health Center is an integral part of the health care safety net for the East End of Pittsburgh, providing medical and dental care using a sliding fee discount. The center’s services include pediatric and homebound elderly outreach, specialized drug/alcohol/HIV support services, health education/prevention, translation, transportation and many more. Annually, the center served more than 7,000 patients through more than 31,000 visits and was recently certified as a patient-centered medical home. Our core values in delivering service are Christ-centeredness, prayer, responsibility, family, service and wholeness.

For more resources on community health centers in Allegheny County, please visit http://www.achd.net/chrond/pubs/pdf/Insuredlinked.pdf.

Or, if you’d like a paper copy of this guide, call the Allegheny County Health Department at 412-687-2243 to request that a printed copy be mailed to you at no cost.

by Dr. Jordan Karp

Chronic pain is one of the most frequent reasons for seeking medical care. A 2010 survey of United States residents estimated chronic pain at 31 percent. Getting older, divorced or separated and being female all contribute to suffering from chronic pain. Some other factors, such as being overweight and smoking also contribute to chronic pain. Chronic low back pain, neck pain and osteoarthritis are the most common types of pain and increase with age.

Despite technological advances, modern medical interventions, and one of the world’s highest rates of health care spending per person, the overall health and quality of life for Americans remain shockingly low. The United States ranked 23rd in the world in life expectancy for both men and women in 2000, 50th for maternal mortality and 28th for infant mortality. The predominance and emphasis on specialist care over primary care has been identified as a major contributing factor to this problem.

Jeannette South-Paul, MD

As health care reform takes shapes and demand for primary care increases, community health centers (CHCs) will become an increasingly important health care resource for all of our communities and particularly for vulnerable populations such as children, the disabled, racial/ethnic/social minorities, the poor and the medically uninsured and underinsured.

BURBANK, Calif. (AP)—Jay ate the veggies.

First lady Michelle Obama cajoled Jay Leno into nibbling on apples, sweet potato fries and a pizza made with eggplant, green peppers and zucchini on the “Tonight Show,” breaking his long-held aversion for all-things-healthy in his diet.

Leno once told a magazine he hadn’t eaten a vegetable since 1969, and he insisted he tasted his last apple in 1984. That didn’t dissuade the first lady, who’s promoting her “Let’s Move!” campaign to get kids excited about fitness and healthy eating habits.

GUEST APPEARANCE—In this image released by NBC, first lady Michelle Obama speaks with host Jay Leno during an appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” on Jan. 31, in Burbank, Calif. (AP Photo/NBC, Stacie McChesney)

Earlier, Obama poked at him in a Twitter post, hinting she’d “get Jay to eat some veggies” on the NBC show.

He did.