The University of Nebraska Medical Center will host a free public open
house from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., June 14, at its new University Medical
Associates health center at 5050 Ames Ave. in the northwest corner of the
Baker Place shopping center. The health center was previously located at
56th & Ames Ave.
The center will represent a new focus on building healthier communities
through closer relationships between the community and UNMC health providers
and promotion of health education.
Open house activities include free screenings for high blood pressure,
glaucoma, cholesterol and blood sugar. Free activities for children include
face-painting, teddy bear and doll check-ups, hand-washing demonstrations
and growth profiles. Other activities include drill team performances and
a community organization fair.
"A unique feature of the center will be that health care provided
will be based on input from members of the community through the Community
Care Council," said Sally English, regional manager of the center.
The Community Care Council, comprised of 20 community leaders, has been
organized to relay community health concerns and priorities to UNMC staff.
The council’s goals are part of UNMC’s Community Partnership Initiative,
a plan to work closely with neighborhoods and communities that UNMC serves
in order to address community health issues together.
The teen community will be represented by the newly-formed Youth Community
Care Council, a group of 15 area high school students. They represent North,
Northwest, Central, Benson and Burke high schools.
"The development of a structured community partnership effort will
not only improve the health of Nebraskans, but also will give our faculty
and students new opportunities for education, research and patient care,"
said Robin Kammandel, Community Partnership leader.
The open house begins with a 10:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony that
will be attended by the UNMC Chancellor William O. Berndt, Ph.D., Carolyn
Green, president of the Community Care Council, and members of the council,
as well as families and neighborhood residents.
"Smile," an exhibit of colorful tile artwork on the waiting
room walls of the health center, will be unveiled. The tiles were individually-designed
by students at Fontenelle Elementary, Monroe Middle School and Benson High
School, in conjunction with Joslyn Art Museum.
Health services provided at UMA at Baker Place include family medicine,
pediatrics, obstetrics, general dentistry, pediatric dentistry, psychology
and psychiatry, laboratory and radiology services. In addition, the Douglas
County Health Dept. provides services, including immunizations and screenings
for sexually-transmitted diseases.
Health-care providers at the center include: Amy George, M.D., and William
Minier, M.D., family medicine services; Susan Hollins, M.D., and Peg Schneider,
a physician assistant, pediatric care; Greg Davis, D.D.S., dentistry; and
Marvin Stancil, M.D., and Lewe Okereke, M.D., obstetrics and gynecology.
Health center hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Thursday
and Friday, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday. Saturday hours are 9 a.m.
to noon. The facility includes 10 exam rooms, a procedure room, X-ray and
laboratory rooms, as well as a dental exam rooms.
The health center includes a conference room for use by community groups,
and a health resource center that will contain two computers with connection
to medical information and the Internet, a TV/VCR unit for educational
tapes, and a library of health information.
For more information on UMA at Baker Place or to make an appointment,
call (402) 595-2280.
Organizations participating in the open house are the YMCA, the YWCA,
the Great Plains Girls Scouts Council, Girls Inc., the Benson Library,
Omaha Housing Authority First Step, the UNMC Eppley Cancer Institute, the
UNMC Lied Transplant Center, the Ruth Solomon Girls Center, New Community
Development and the UNMC Mobile Nursing Unit. With nearly 300 physicians,
University Medical Associates is the largest physician practice in Omaha
and has 11 health centers in the Omaha area.