ALBANY — Whitney Young Health, based in Albany, plans to open a third location, in Watervliet, in the next six months to a year.
The Watervliet health center will be similar to Whitney Young’s Troy operation, offering both primary care and dental services, said spokeswoman Maureen Yee. The center will employ a part-time doctor, full-time nurse practitioner or physician assistant and a full-time dentist.
As a federally qualified health center that receives government funding, Whitney Young Health provides medical services to patients regardless of their ability to pay.
Whitney Young has selected a site, but will not disclose the location while officials negotiate final terms on a rental arrangement with a property owner, Yee said. The new location is being made possible by a $600,000 federal grant that will support operations over the first year or two.
Watervliet was chosen for the site due to a high need for medical services for low- to moderate-income people, Yee said. Residents of Watervliet, Green Island and part of Latham have trouble getting to the existing health centers in Albany and Troy.
“There is a high need in that community,” Yee said. “Pockets of it are very low-income, and people have very limited access to health care services.”
Whitney Young projects it will treat about 3,300 patients at the Watervliet location after two years of operation, Yee said.
While the federal grant will support operations, Whitney Young may seek donations to equip the site, Yee said.
Claire Hughes covers health care in the Capital Region for the Times Union