Parkland Opens Red Bird Clinic to Serve Communities With Low Life Expectancy – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

There’s a new place for healthcare in a part of Dallas with a history of healthcare inequalities.

Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas has opened a new multi-specialty clinic on Red Bird Mall in southern Dallas County.

The nurse Rhonda Green lives around the corner.

“I know there are health differences and I’m glad it is available to the people in this community,” said Green.

The Red Bird Health Center offers not only basic care, but also physical rehabilitation, sonography services for expectant mothers, pediatrician appointments and mammograms for breast cancer screening.

It is in the heart of the five Dallas zip codes identified as the ones with the lowest life expectancy.

Ronald Session, operations manager, said the facility will have a huge impact on fighting high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol in the surrounding communities.

“Usually most people only travel eleven kilometers to get some kind of service, to get medical care. By bringing these services into this community, we are removing those seven mile long barriers from patients, ”said Session.

Patients who live in this part of Dallas county often go to the Parkland Emergency Room for primary care, but now have a better option that is closer to home.

The on-site pharmacy can fill out up to 16,000 prescriptions per month, comparable to what could be done through a large retail pharmacy.

Once fully occupied, the new health center is expected to offer 18,000 primary care visits and 23,000 specialist visits for women each year.

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