Transcription
00:00
We love to talk about your good health here on 973 because we are Litchfield County’s community radio station. And once a month, we check in with the folks from the McCall Behavioral Health Network, and they have been spreading their services far and wide here in Western Connecticut. And one of the aspects they’re offering is a primary care clinic based down in Waterbury. This morning, we’re talking with Rashida Olakion, who is a family medicine nurse practitioner down there. Rashida, good morning. Hi, good morning. How are you? I’m well. How are you doing this morning? Good, good.
00:36
Thank you so much for having me. I’m excited to talk about what we’re doing at the Whole Health Center and how we’re working to make care easier and more personal for the families in our community. Well, that certainly sounds like something that everybody could be rooting for. And we’ve been, we run a marketing campaign with McCall. And the ad currently running is talking about the Whole Health Center. And I guess it’s fairly recent to the Waterbury area, but we’re doing some outreach here, aren’t we, to let people know about it? That is correct. Absolutely. So one of the biggest strengths of family medicine is that we’re able to care for people of all ages, no matter where you are. Yes, we’re located in Waterbury, but we’re open to anyone that wants to come and see us. Well, the thing about Waterbury is it’s 20 minutes from here.
01:17
I mean, you jump on Route 8. It’s right down the road. So it’s really not that far. And it’s the largest city in western Connecticut. So for the rest of us, it’s not that far away. And one of the things, one of the problems we have up here in Northwest Connecticut is that there is a dearth of primary care available. We’ve got fewer doctors, so fewer options for ourselves. So let’s talk about what you folks offer down there in terms of comprehensive whole family care. What does that mean to us? Absolutely. So again, we’re located in Waterbury and we get to see everyone. So we’re talking about newborns, teens, adults, older adults, really from the beginning to the end. And so that means us families don’t have to juggle multiple clinics or repeat their stories over and over again. And you and I both know how exhausting that can be. So we focus on the whole person care. So whether it’s managing chronic conditions, supporting their mental health, or even helping kids with their school physicals, and maybe even guiding parents through the preventative care process, people love to know that they can come to one place and truly be heard, truly be seen.
02:26
And so we really focus on having the whole family be part of our story. All right. So really anything from a young child coming in with an earache to maybe something involving a stomach ailment or whatever, you guys run the gamut. It’s general care and it’s for all ages. Absolutely. Absolutely. And we try to focus on convenience. So, you know, being located at 969 West Main Street in Waterbury, I have to keep plugging that in because I want people to know that we are so easily accessible. Please do. We offer primary care. We offer our services between 730 am and 530 pm Monday.
03:01
730 am and 530 pm Monday through Thursday, and then again, 9 am to 5 pm on Fridays. The Whole Health Center also offers mental health services, which is really important, especially in today’s time. So we have our services available during the day, during the evening, and again, through the whole lifespan. And even if those hours aren’t convenient for you, we still have someone that you can reach after hours. We have a main number that you can call. It’s 8604962100 and you can get quick visits for anything like a sore throat, a minor injury, or even medication refills. And, you know, we’re all busy, and we know that many people are juggling work and other responsibilities, so we do also offer telehealth visits for followups and simple concerns. We have a pharmacy on site, and so you don’t have to go far to fill your medications. We also have Spanishspeaking staff, and if your primary language is not English or Spanish, we do have other resources available to help us communicate. And again, our goal is to make sure that you feel comfortable, you feel safe, and you feel like not only you are able to see our clinicians, but also any members of your family.
04:02
If you’re joining us this morning, we’re speaking with Rashida Aliyokun, and she’s a family medicine nurse practitioner. We’re talking about the whole health center at the primary care clinic in Waterbury, and we’re talking about comprehensive whole family care. And really, all the things you just outlined are really what I think people are clamoring for: options for health care, again, the convenience of being able to have whole family care. In one location, you don’t have to see, you know, a specialist with with infants. A pediatrician. And then if you’ve got a teenager, having them see someone who’s more of a general practitioner, you can get it all under one roof.
04:40
And it’s easy to get to, again, give us that address. And if you’re coming off Route 8, what’s the easiest way to get to the primary care clinic? So again, that address is 969 West Main Street in Waterbury, Connecticut. And I believe the exit is 31, if I’m not mistaken. We’re accessible by bus, by car, and also by Uber or whatever means of transportation. We have people that. Are in the neighborhood and they walk right in. And so we’re available to see anyone anytime between those times or for telehealth visits. Now, I know we’re doing outreach, Rashida, and I’m sure you folks are seeing new patients when they’re coming in.
05:15
When they come in and they say, wow, I never knew you were here, and I’m surprised that we have this resource right here locally. Oh, yeah, so go ahead. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Go ahead. But you must have a lot of people who are grateful. That this clinic is actually there and maybe a little surprised that they didn’t know up to now that it was available. Correct. We’ve had people that came in looking for directions for another clinic or another center and realized that, wait, you guys are here. Is it possible for me to schedule an appointment or what’s the process for being seen?
05:50
And we don’t turn anyone away. So it doesn’t matter what your income level is, what your work or your personal life is. We welcome everyone. And so we really strive to make the whole health center feel like a community home base not just medical office like i said our services are comprehensive um we seek to treat you know primary care mental health um behavioral health and even connect you with services in the community because that’s another thing that tends to be missing from the link in terms of health care. And our staff knows our patients by name and so even when you walk in we see you a couple of times we know who you are right away all of that very convenient our guest this morning rashida oliokan a family medicine nurse practitioner we’ve covered a lot of great points about this primary care clinic at the primary care clinic, I should say.
06:38
At the Whole Health Center down in Waterbury. You’ve got Spanishspeaking staff that can help with folks, telehealth available, comprehensive whole family care, open five days a week, welcoming communitycentered environment. Is there anything we’ve left out, Rashida, to just remind folks about this great health resource? Don’t forget, you can still reach us after hours. We have an afterhours number, and we also offer telehealth give us a call at any time. All right. And again, that address for folks, if they want to just make sure they get that down and explore this resource now right in Waterbury.
07:11
Yes, it is 969 West Main Street in Waterbury, Connecticut. Sure appreciate your time this morning, Rashida. And great to know that this primary care clinic under the umbrella of the McCall Behavioral Health Network is there. Continue the good work and thanks so much for your time. No problem. Thank you for having me. You have a wonderful day. You too bye