FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 17, 2008
Contact:Jamie Arehart (267-350-7699 or jarehart@phmc.org)
Community
Pitches in to Revitalize
Rising Sun
Health Center
PHILADELPHIA – On Saturday, July 12, a large group of volunteers
from all over the community donated their time and expertise to help beautify
the Rising Sun
Health Center
in Philadelphia.
From 8:30 a.m. to Noon, volunteers from the Health Center,
and Health Leadership Network of the Delaware Valley (HLNDV), took direction
from Brad Baker, Certified Pennsylvania Horticulturist and president of the
landscape design firm Baker Creative, in re-designing and planting the health
center’s landscape.
The large community project
began when the HLNDV contacted Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) to
volunteer some of their members. The Leadership network often provides volunteers
for community projects. HLNDV member and volunteer organizer David Balinksi
explains, “Typical projects include non-skilled manual labor such as painting,
moving, planting, and any other creative projects to benefit the community.”
Elaine Fox, Vice President of
Specialized Health Services at PHMC, jumped at the chance to get some help in
cleaning up the Rising
Sun Health
Center. “We were thrilled
at the chance to have some help in cleaning up the health center’s landscape.
We needed new plants – new everything,” Fox said. “This was a long-awaited
dream.”
After the HLNDV volunteers
were secured, Brad Baker of Baker Creative was asked to manage and oversee the
project. Baker is known for his passion in using horticulture to benefit the
community. “From my perspective, it is essential to get people – especially
kids – back in touch with nature.” Baker visited Rising Sun Health Center
earlier this month, prepared blueprints, and secured the materials for the
community event. HLNDV volunteers then
got to work, planting new flowers and bushes around the facility.
The Rising Sun Health Center
provides quality comprehensive health services to people underserved by
traditional health care providers. In addition, many of the patients there are
newly arrived immigrants from Asia, Africa and South
America. “Although the
interior of the center is beautiful, the outside required a great deal of
improvement,” Fox explains.
The Rising Sun Health Center
provides high-quality, affordable health care to patients of all ages including
primary care, prenatal services, immunizations and flu shots, management of
chronic conditions, and family planning. The Health
Center is located on the corner of Adams Avenue and
Rising Sun Avenue in North Philadelphia. For
more information on the health center, please visit (this page) or call 215-279-9666. Spanish-speaking
staff is available.
# # #
About Rising Sun Health Center
The Rising
Sun Health
Center provides
high-quality, affordable health care to patients of all ages. Staffed by nurse
practitioners and other health professionals, the health center provides friendly,
convenient care designed to meet patients’ needs.
