Wilkinsburg clinic helps underserved community

WILKINSBURG — For underserved portions of the community, having a local clinic in their community is incredibly important to serve the medical needs of those who live there.

Just after the pandemic started a new report found that the United States life expectancy for the black population is shorter than it used to be. That grim trend is one of the many reasons Allied Community Health Center opened its doors on Penn Avenue in Wilkinsburg.

“African American males, across the county went down two years, from 72 to 69. Dr. William Simmons, medical director, said. “We opened this as a conduit, as an access, so people can be seen and cared for.”

Simmons said due to COVID-19 African Americans have been neglecting their health now more than ever.

“Patients in the black community, who have diabetes and high blood pressure, who have all of these kinds of medical problems, common to this community, they weren’t being seen and their medical problems were getting out of control,” he said.

Another reason for the hesitation in seeking treatment stems from the dark history of medical experimentation on African Americans like Henrietta Lacks or the Tuskegee study.

“Even as a black doctor, people are still cautious but you have to be in the community, to develop a rapport, and that’s why we are here,” Simmons said.

Simmons said the Wilkinsburg clinic, with three exam rooms and an in-house lab, is now working to gain the trust and confidence of this community with hopes to expand to Penn Hills in the near future.

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Cox Media Group