Abbeville Area Medical Center (AAMC) will be hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony for its Community Resource Center and Pavilion on Monday, April 22, at 2:00pm. To be held at the Pavilion, located on Thomson Circle between the Healthcare Center and hospital, the event will include a brief ceremony, tours of the Center, and light refreshments.
The reason behind the creation of both the Community Resource Center (CRC) and the Pavilion was two-fold – to meet critical health and other needs that were identified within the community and testing needs recognized during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As we reviewed data from our Community Health Needs Assessment, it became evident there was significant need to provide free or reduced cost healthcare services and other resources to our community,” stated Amanda Morgan, AAMC Community Health, Wellness and Outreach Director. “The pandemic also brought to light the need for better testing and vaccination infrastructure that would allow a safe and protected area for team members to provide services in an outdoor environment when necessary.”
With this in mind, the vision to create a place that would provide a wide variety of healthcare services, both indoors and out, became a reality.
The CRC opened its doors in February 2023 and is located just off Thomson Circle in one of AAMC’s former physician office buildings. The Center’s primary focus is to provide health services to those who are uninsured or underinsured as well as access to low or no cost screenings, clothing and hygiene products and financial assistance programs to help defray the cost of medical care. The CRC also houses AAMC’s diabetes and chronic care management programs and provides vaccination clinics and other services for those who have insurance.
A wide variety of mobile health units also frequently visit the CRC, which further reinforced the need for the Community Resource Pavilion and emphasized the value it would bring post pandemic.
During the pandemic, AAMC was heavily involved in providing both testing and vaccination clinics to area businesses and communities, seeing high testing volumes compared to other rural areas. Most of the testing clinics were “drive through” and located outside in challenging weather conditions.
“With the completion of the Pavilion, AAMC is not only prepared to provide an urgent response to future health emergencies, but now also has a specialized space that is designed to house our mobile health units, food box giveaways and other events,” stated Trey Moore, MD, who led the COVID-19 response effort. “The Community Resource Center and Pavilion has taken years of strategic planning and the cooperation of many local, state, and national agencies to make it a reality.”
Additional improvements will be made to the Pavilion as funding is secured to include power, locking storage areas and traffic control gates.
Renovation of the CRC and construction of the Pavilion was funded by grants received from CDC Health Equity funds and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) totaling more than $350,000.00.
For more information about AAMC’s Community Resource Center and Pavilion, visit www.AbbevilleAreaMC.com/CRC.
