CHASS Center Opens $17 Million Facility to Expand Health Care Services for Southwest Detroit

DETROIT – Community Health and Social Services (CHASS) Center, Inc., a 42-year-old organization providing primary health, dental and wellness care to Detroit’s uninsured and underinsured announced it has opened a new, $17-million medical facility in Southwest Detroit.

The new, larger CHASS Southwest Center will provide expanded primary health care and wellness/preventative services to the community of Southwest Detroit. The new building replaces the center occupied since 1975 and will allow CHASS to serve 28,000 patients a year - 17,000 more than its former facility.

“We are proud that our new facility will allow us to expand our ability to offer comprehensive primary care and wellness services to the uninsured and underinsured of Detroit,” says J. Ricardo Guzman, CEO, CHASS. “Over the years, CHASS has successfully overcome the three main barriers to care in the community we serve -- access, language and transportation -- and today, CHASS is a model of quality health care delivery to urban populations.”

The new facility will allow the CHASS Center to enhance the many services it provides to the community, and includes two primary care clinics with 24 exam rooms, four procedure rooms, a diagnostic area, a dental office with six rooms, a pharmacy, lab, patient waiting area with two-story atrium, children's play area, a walking track, administrative offices, a wellness/conference room, demonstration kitchen, space for Behavioral Health Services, and a nutrition office.

A number of organizations donated funds for the construction of the new center, including $4 million from Chase.
“Chase has a long commitment to serving the communities where we work and live and there is no better example of that commitment than right here in Detroit,” says Sarah McClellan, head of Chase’s commercial bank in Michigan. “Quality social services are critical to a community’s vitality and strength and we are proud to have played a role in the new CHASS facility.”

“We congratulate CHASS on the opening of its new facility and are very proud that Henry Ford Health System has been a supportive partner since its inception,” says Robert Riney, Henry Ford Health System president and chief operating officer. Henry Ford Health System provided $3 million for the new medical facility.

CHASS’ physician services, contracted through Henry Ford, bring high-quality care to patients, with an emphasis on the underserved African-American and Latino populations. The arrangement allows the physician staff at CHASS access to the Henry Ford Medical Group for referral and consultation.

CHASS has a mix of payers to cover the cost of services, including private insurance providers, Medicaid, Medicare, and patient payment for services based on household size and income. No one, however, is denied access to medical care because of an inability to pay.

CHASS Center is located at 5635 West Fort Street. For more information, visit www.chasscenter.org or call (313)849-3920.

About CHASS:

CHASS is a federally qualified health center formed to develop, promote, and provide comprehensive, accessible and affordable quality primary health care and support services to all residents of the community, with emphasis on the underserved African American and Latino populations in Detroit. CHASS serves as a medical home, providing culturally competent, bilingual care. Their medical, nutrition and dental providers serve families from conception through the lifespan. View more information on CHASS at: http://www.chasscenter.org.