For over 15 years, OneWorld has reserved appointment times at the Livestock Exchange Health campus for residents at the Stephen Center (stephencenter.org), a shelter for individuals to overcome homelessness and addiction, to receive medical care. Now, every Wednesday afternoon, Stephen Center residents can receive care without leaving the center.
“When the Stephen Center presented this idea to us, it was a no brainer,” said Sarah Miller, APRN, CPNP-PC, chief of medical services, OneWorld Community Health Centers. “We already have a wonderful partnership established, and this clinic will run very similarly to our School-Based Health Centers and Teen and Young Adult Health Centers.”
The clinic offers primary care services including diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic diseases, behavioral health referrals, laboratory services and vaccines. Cody Thorson, PA-C, Family Medicine Physician Assistant, is primary provider at the Stephen Center clinic.
In 2022, Stephen Center had 95 children as clients, of whom over half are under the age of five. With the new clinic, parents have direct support from Stephen Center staff to schedule their child’s well-child visits without having to leave the center.
Located in South Omaha, Stephen Center serves the homeless, addicted and those with mental health challenges. The campus includes a homeless emergency shelter, inpatient/outpatient co-occurring treatment and permanent supportive housing for disabled and low-income individuals. In 2022, Stephen Center provided services to 1,179 men, women and children and offered over 200,000 meals to people experiencing homelessness, addiction and mental health challenges. Learn more at stephencenter.org.