Northeast News
August 10, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Northeast residents in need of medical care will soon have a neighborhood solution, at least on Thursday evenings.

Mattie Rhodes Center will be holding a grand opening for its evening clinic, La Clinica, on Thursday, August 11, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Initially, the clinic will be open only on Thursday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., but services could eventually be expanded to include other days and times.

La Clinica is the result of a partnership with the St. Luke’s Foundation, which provided Mattie Rhodes Center with a grant to help begin operations. St. Luke’s recognized a need for a health clinic in the area when staff noticed that the majority of its emergency room patients were coming in with relatively minor ailments. The new clinic will be housed in the basement of the Mattie Rhodes Center’s Northeast location, at 148 N. Topping.

Patricia Morales, the center’s new Community Health Worker, described what services the clinic will be able to provide.

“We’ll be treating minor illnesses such as sore throats, headaches, skin infections and rashes, eye pain or irritation, coughs, runny noses, flu symptoms, menstrual concerns, urinary burning, and aches and pains,” said Morales.

Additionally, the clinic will also be able to treat minor injuries such as burns, cuts, blisters, small wounds, joint sprains, and muscle aches. La Clinica will also conduct health screenings. Payment for health care services will be capped at $50, with a minimum of $30. The specific costs will be determined based on a sliding scale; patients will be required to provide proof of income along with a form of ID in order to receive services.

The clinic will be staffed by two nurses and a nurse’s assistant, who will all be under the supervision of Dr. Timothy Little.

“They’re all bilingual, so they all speak Spanish,” said Morales.

Morales began telling area residents about La Clinica during the Mattie Rhodes Center’s Back to School Rally on Thursday, August 4. She noted that the public was very receptive about the opportunity to utilize a neighborhood health clinic.

“A lot of people were interested in our booth, which is really great,” Morales said. “I’m excited to have this clinic here, where people can walk to. It will benefit the community here, because it’s so close.”