Providing culturally sensitive health care services to more than 12,000 patients in the Buffalo area, the Jericho Road Community Health Center is a growing health care facility, especially for refugee and low-income community members.
The center, which works to promote wellness and self-sufficiency by addressing health, education, economic and spiritual barriers, recently announced it will expand to the East Side, taking over a 13,000 square foot space to accommodate the increased numbers of patients.
“We’re excited to embark upon our next 20 years by further expanding primary care services on the East Side of Buffalo with our new location at 1021 Broadway,” Mary Schaefer, Jericho Road Community Health Center’s Events and Marketing Coordinator, says. “All our current sites will remain open, including our existing East Side clinic at 1609 Genesee Street, but the new facility will allow us to better serve even more individuals through medical care and supportive programming,” she adds.
Started in 1997 by Dr. Myron and Joyce Glick, Jericho Road started as the Jericho Road Family Practice (JRFP) at 184 Barton Street on Buffalo’s West Side. Regardless of a patient’s ability to pay, JRFP offered medical services to Buffalo residents and an increasing number of refugees. In 2003, the Glocks founded their ministry, Jericho Road Ministries (JRM), which offered wide-ranging services from mentoring to small business advising. In 2009, JRM merged with Hope Refugee Services, and in 2013, the health care practice and ministry service merged into one.
Today, the arms of Jericho Road Community Health Center reach from Buffalo and around the world. Globally, the organization has a footprint in countries like Burma, Congo, Nepal and Sierra Leone, where it has provided services and often medical buildings. On June 15, 2017, Jericho Road will host its annual global fundraiser “Bridging the Gap,” an event at the Statler Buffalo, to fund these efforts.
Here in Buffalo, it continues its commitment to medical care. “Over the last 20 years, Jericho Road has continued to be a committed anchor organization in Western New York, dedicated to providing medical services and non-medical programming to better meet the healthcare needs of all Buffalo residents,” Schaefer says.
In addition to medical needs, the center continues to treat the community as a whole. Under its umbrella, VIVE! is a shelter houses refugees waiting for appointments and interviews with border services. Jericho Road also houses The Hope Refugee Drop-In center focused on providing “tools for self-empowerment,” according to their website. This includes assistance paying bills, navigating social services and help looking for jobs. It also partners with organizations like WEDI and Neighborhood Legal Services to provide small business counseling and legal aid.
By maintaining a constant dialogue with the community, Jericho Road works to increase and improve their services. From a small brick and mortar building located in Buffalo’s West Side to the furthest reaches of the globe and now to the East Side, the path to Jericho Road remains open and welcome for business.