The crowd gathered for the ribbon cutting of the Parker Family Health Center expansion. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
Suzy Dyer looked pretty distracted. She had a few seconds before she had to take the mic as a large crowd of staff, volunteers, donors and dignitaries swirled around her in the doorway of the Parker Health Center on one of the biggest days in the history of the 24-year-old clinic. Dyer is the center’s executive director and it was no time to ask her questions.
So we asked anyway: “What are you feeling right now?”
“Joy,” she said with a smile. “Pure joy.”
The waiting room of the newly expanded clinic, with framed photos of Drs. James Parker Senior and Junior, after whom the center is named. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
The Parker Center Tuesday officially unveiled its gleaming newly expanded facilities, the result of a two-year construction project. The two-story, 2,900-square-foot expansion and renovation includes three new exam rooms (now totaling seven), multi-purpose conference spaces, private areas for patient education, counseling, intakes, and telehealth, and more.
The building at 211 Shrewsbury Avenue provides a wide range of free medical services to uninsured patients who live in Monmouth County and whose income is less than 300 percent the federal poverty level.
Eugene Cheslock, a retired oncologist, launched the center in a construction trailer in 2000. It is named after a father and son duo of African American doctors who dedicated their lives to serving the health needs of Red Bank residents – Dr. James Parker and Dr. James Parker Jr.
It currently serves between 1,400 and 1,500 people. The expansion allows them to serve a growing demand and offer a wider range of services, such as physical therapy.
A $5 million fund drive to pay for the expansion was headed by Carol Stillwell and Peter Graham, with another longtime backer, Dorothea Bongiovi, serving as honorary chairperson.
As they gave tours of the facility yesterday, employees and volunteers told stories about climbing on a toilet to retrieve medical records from a cabinet and working in makeshift facilities for years, especially in the clinic’s earliest days.
Of the expansion, Jeanne Wagner, Parker Center director of development said, “It’s unbelievable what a difference it has made.”
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331 or yelling his name loudly as he walks by. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.
