UPMC Health Clinic at Second Avenue Commons Welcomes Patients Back
By: Liz Reid
The UPMC Second Avenue Commons Health Center welcomed patients back this week, nearly five months after a fire shuttered the facility.
“We are thrilled to have this health care hub in Pittsburgh open once again,” said Dr. Anita Leon-Jhong, clinic medical director. “If anything, the displacement over the summer demonstrated how valuable this clinic is to the population we serve.”
The clinic within the Second Avenue Commons low barrier shelter accepts anyone on a walk-in basis, regardless of insurance coverage. Clinicians offer a wide range of services, including treatment for substance use disorders, diabetes, high blood pressure and infections plus gynecologic and behavioral health care.
Nurse coordinator Emily Powell specializes in wound and foot care, offering people the knowledge and supplies they need to care for their own wounds. Powell also joins Street Medicine at Pitt as they visit people living on the streets and has helped develop the clinic’s relationships with those living and working in encampments.
“Our ‘street cred’ has everything to do with our success,” Powell said. “People know that when they come here, they will be treated with respect and get they help they need.”
Behavioral health therapist Justin Grotelueschen was there when the fire broke out and said the immediate move to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center was a blessing.
“People were scared and unsure,” he said. “Patients reached out to me asking what was going to happen to the clinic. The truth was, we didn’t know yet.”
Over the course of five months, Leon-Jhong, Powell and other providers staffed temporary clinics in several facilities owned and operated by Pittsburgh Mercy, the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, Bethlehem Haven and the City of Pittsburgh’s ROOTS program.
Grotelueschen spent much of his summer on his bicycle, traveling to see patients at DHS and Pittsburgh Mercy’s Reedsdale Street facility, and visiting people in encampments with Operation Safety Net.
The team said it’s nice to be home again.
“We can once again tell people, ‘Whatever you need, go to Second Avenue Commons.’ Whether that’s health care, a meal, a place to sleep or just someone to talk to,” she said. “Having everything here under one roof really is irreplaceable.”
The team said that while the fire was unarguably a setback, there was a silver lining: the relationships between the UPMC Health Clinic and other organizations who serve people experiencing homelessness in Pittsburgh are stronger than ever.
“This isn’t a clinic where we give you a Band-Aid and send you on your way,” said Powell. “We help you get to the next step in your journey.”
