Senator Bob Casey (middle) with Esperanza Health Center Staff at a press conference held on 8/19/2024 announcing federal funding. Photo by Abdul Sulayman/The Philadelphia Tribune.
PRESS RELEASE
Senator Casey Secures $464,000 for Expansion of Esperanza Health Center’s North Fifth Street Site
Philadelphia, PA – August 20, 2024: Esperanza Health Center, a federally-qualified health center with three sites in north Philadelphia serving nearly 15,000 patients annually, hosted Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) yesterday for a press conference to announce the $464,000 in funding he secured in the FY24 federal spending bill for Esperanza’s North Fifth Street site expansion and renovation project. Through
this project, Esperanza will increase access to comprehensive primary medical care and integrated services, including medication-assisted treatment for opioid-use disorder and behavioral health services, for residents of Philadelphia’s Fairhill neighborhood and surrounding communities that are at the epicenter of the city’s opioid use crisis.
The project will consist of the renovation and integration of a newly-acquired property located immediately adjacent to Esperanza’s current site at 2940 N. Fifth Street, where the health center has provided patient care since 2006. Key renovations to be completed as part of the $1.4 million project include the development of a new group room for expanded group medication-assisted treatment services to address opioid-use disorder; the addition of three new patient exam rooms for primary medical care; a new, expanded waiting and reception area; and, installation of a new elevator. The project will enable Esperanza to serve 50-60 percent additional patients annually at the N. Fifth Street site, in a community
that is a federal medically-underserved area and located in a zip code (19133) with the lowest per capita income in Philadelphia. Esperanza plans to begin work on the project in October 2024, with completion expected by summer 2025.
“Each time I visit, I am struck by the impact Esperanza Health has on Philadelphia’s Hispanic, Black, and low-income communities, empowering families to access economic opportunity and affordable health care,” said Senator Casey. “I fought for this funding so the Center can serve more patients and get them on the road to recovery. I won’t stop working to support Pennsylvanians recovering from substance use disorder and stop the scourge of fentanyl from ravaging our communities.”
As Esperanza’s chief executive officer, Susan Post, shared in her remarks: “The need for primary care services is significant throughout North Philadelphia, and the opioid crisis is devastating to our city. We are grateful for Senator Casey’s willingness to help us serve our community through this generous funding for our Fifth Street project, which will make it possible to offer these much-needed expanded services.”
About Esperanza Health Center
Founded in 1989, Esperanza Health Center (www.esperanzahealth.com) is a faith-based, federally-qualified health center serving 14,600 patients through over 61,000 visits annually from its three sites located at 861 E. Allegheny Avenue, 2940 N. 5
th Street and 4417 N. 6 th Street in Philadelphia. Comprehensive, bilingual services include primary adult and pediatric medical care, dental care, women’s
and prenatal care, behavioral health care, medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, comprehensive HIV care, and community health and wellness initiatives, including nutrition and fitness programs. For more information about Esperanza Health Center, please visit our website at www.esperanzahealth.com or call (215) 302-3600.
Contact: Ted Voboril, Development Director
(215) 302-3600, ext. 327
ted.voboril@esperanzahealth.com
www.esperanzahealth.com