From left are Jim Teed, vice president of regional markets at Highmark Inc.; Dave Trusel, PA, of the WMH Chautauqua Clinic; Dr. Russ Elwell of WMH; interim president of WMH, Henry Ward; Saint Vincent CMO Dr. Dan Muccio; WMH and Saint Vincent board member Helen Baran, Saint Vincent president Dr. Chris Clark; WMH Board chair Doc Hamels; Chautauqua Institution president Geoff Follansbee; Highmark’s Cindy Donohoe; and WMH’s Ed Brooks.

Officials from Westfield Memorial Hospital, Allegheny Health Network, Saint Vincent Hospital, and the Chautauqua Institution, gathered on last month to cut the ribbon on the newly renovated Westfield Memorial Hospital Chautauqua Clinic.

Located centrally on the grounds of the Institution at 21 Roberts Ave., the clinic offers urgent and primary care services to residents and visitors of all ages. Patients requiring additional care may be directed or transferred to Westfield Memorial. As a satellite location of Westfield Memorial, the clinic also provides patients with access to the broad clinical expertise and resources of Saint Vincent in Erie, and AHN, if needed.

“The Chautauqua Primary Care Clinic has, since 1993, provided residents and visitors at the Chautauqua Institute with the security of knowing they have high quality health care close by should they become ill or suffer a minor injury,” said WMH acting president Henry Ward. “And the renovations we celebrate today make the clinic a more attractive and comfortable setting for patients.”

Updates to the clinic included new medical equipment, a new electrical, heating and cooling system, new furniture and a complete aesthetic renovation.

The new facility is just the latest example of the more than $1.5 billion that AHN and Highmark Health are investing to improve access to care in the many communities the organization serves.

Staffed by physician’s assistants and nurse practitioners under the direct supervision of Westfield Memorial Hospital’s Russell S. Elwell, MD, the Chautauqua Clinic is an extension of the hospital and is designed to treat medical concerns that are typically seen in a primary care setting.

Laboratory services are offered during normal clinic hours by appointment and free blood pressure screenings are offered during normal clinic hours. The clinic staff and the staff of WMH also help patients by coordinating health care for residents and visitors between their hometown physician or local physicians.

On average, the clinic serves about 1,000 patients during an Institution season.

The clinic is open from Monday through Friday to Aug. 25, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with a lunch break from 11:30 a.m. to noon. To schedule an appointment, call 357-3209.