On October 28th the Rose Andom Center, in partnership with Denver Health and MotherWise, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the long-awaited opening of the Rose Andom Health Clinic. Mayor Michael B. Hancock, Denver Health CEO Robin Wittenstein, Dr. Simon Hambidge, Director Galena Rhoades and Executive Director Margaret Abrams were joined by about 40 others in celebrating the addition of this critical new service at the Rose Andom Center and to tour the clinic space.
This clinic allows Denver Health to offer primary and women’s care, as well as well-child visits on-site where clients are already being connected to a range of resources. On this the new clinic, Denver Health CEO, Robin Wittenstein said, “Our main campus has been providing care for clients of the Rose Andom Center since it first opened, and we are now able to provide health services in the single, central location where all of the other client resources are already housed.”
Funding provided by the Colorado Health Foundation and individual donors brought the Rose Andom Center, Denver Health and MotherWise together to care for survivors of domestic violence, parents and children seeking resources they may not get otherwise. The Denver Health clinic team provides full-scope primary care services to adults and children, including:
- Treatment/follow-up care related to injuries from abuse
- Non-urgent medical concerns
- Well-women visits, Pap smear, pregnancy testing, birth control and prenatal care
- Pediatric sick visits and well-child checks
- STI screening and treatment
- On-site behavioral health staff can provide mental health care and addiction counseling
The new clinic makes the Rose Andom Center one of the few family justice centers in the country to have an in-house clinic providing primary health services for women and children.
Denver Health staff include a full-time family nurse practitioner, a medical assistant and a social worker to provide behavioral health services at the clinic. A part-time certified nurse-midwife will also be on hand. The clinic includes two exam rooms, space for staff and a yet-to-be-completed lab. Uninsured and undocumented patients are welcome.
The clinic had a soft opening in June. Between then and October, it has seen 82 patients. The center as a whole has seen 1,400 victims this year, higher than 2018’s total. People experiencing domestic violence are often fearful or embarrassed to seek medical attention, not wanting to disclose the cause of an injury. The Rose Andom Health Clinic provides access to care in a safe, welcoming place, with staff that understand domestic violence dynamics and can provide holistic care.