CHICAGO, IL – January 27, 2014 – The Loretto Hospital announced
today of its plans to partner with PCC Community Wellness Center (PCC)
to expand the primary care services that it currently offers to the Austin
and surrounding communities.
“With ObamaCare in full swing, people can now choose where they want
to receive care. Our decision to collaborate with PCC is our way of ensuring
that the residents of Austin and surrounding areas has quality medical
services and healthcare right in their own community,” Dr. Sonia
Mehta said, CEO and CMO at The Loretto Hospital.
Similar to Loretto’s longstanding commitment to its primary patient
base, PCC has provided quality healthcare to medically underserved residents
on the west side of Chicago since 1980. Plus, what is now becoming more
popular among Federally Qualified Health Centers like PCC, it has opened
extensions or satellite branches in various other hospitals with a mindset
of reaching more of the underserved population that seek care in facilities
they may not be able to afford.
Although The Loretto Hospital currently offers its patients quality primary
care, geriatric medicine, an eye clinic and behavioral health services,
PCC will bring additional access to health service lines including: pediatrics,
women’s health, family planning and dentistry. Along with the services
that Loretto provides, the hospital is a site to register individuals
for health insurance.
“As a physician and leader in this community, I want to personally
ensure that Austin residents has access to better standards, better care
and better outcomes,” Dr. Mehta said. “And for those individuals
who come to Loretto and do not have health insurance, we will help them
register to find the right coverage,” she said.
Both healthcare facilities maintain a social responsibility platform by
its community health and outreach programs. For more than 70 years, Loretto
Hospital has been a beacon in the Austin Community by providing outreach
programs such as its Golden Life Senior Wellness Program, James D. Montgomery
Men’s Health Program, Breath Easy Asthma Clinic, as well as its
annual Visit with Santa and Back-to-School Fitness Fun Fest events. In
addition to Loretto’s community programs, PCC will offer health
education and outreach services, as well as the Austin Produce Market.
“This is an exciting time for Loretto. For a long time, we have made
plans to reestablish specialty areas such as our former pediatrics unit
and our women’s health center. Joining forces with PCC will help
us make these services available to the community this year,” Dr.
Mehta said.
To learn more about The Loretto Hospital and its services, go to
www.lorettohospital.org. To learn more about PCC Community Wellness Center, please visit PCC’s
website at
www.pccwellness.org.
About The Loretto Hospital
The Loretto Hospital is a not-for-profit, community-based hospital located
in Austin, the largest community in Chicago. Loretto is the only hospital
in the Austin community and is the largest non-government employer in
the Austin community. The hospital has more than 600 staff, comprising
of 170 physicians and 300 nursing professionals. Although the largest
percentage of the hospital’s patients resides in Austin and Garfield
Park, neighboring suburban communities also utilize Loretto as a healthcare
resource. For more information, please visit
www.lorettohospital.org.