TYRONE – Officials at the Tyrone Hospital have announced the opening of the Tyrone Hospital Rural Health Center-Houtzdale, a primary care physician practice, located in Houtzdale. The Rural Health Center is set to open May 1.
Patient care at the Rural Health Center- Houtzdale will be provided by Anju Gupta, M.D., a board-certified internal medicine physician, who serves as medical director, and physician assistants, Jim McCliment, PA-C and Rachel Kanski, PA-C.
Stephen Gildea, chief executive officer at Tyrone Hospital, said many residents from the Houtzdale area and neighboring communities choose Tyrone Hospital for needed healthcare services.
“We know it can be a hardship and also costly for people to travel long distances for healthcare services,” he said. “We are trying to make things easier and more convenient by providing doctors who are the first step in the healthcare process closer to home.“
Primary health care services offered at the Rural Health Center – Houtzdale include care to diagnose and treat a variety of illnesses and injuries, as well as wellness exams, vaccinations, women’s health exams, employer/institution mandated examinations and much more. Blood draws for patients’ lab testing will also be provided.
“It is important for people to have easy access to primary care. These are the doctors we see first and most often – for health maintenance, preventative care, illness, injury and management of chronic conditions,” said Gildea.
Murray Fetzer a resident of Houtzdale and who serves as the director over Tyrone Hospital’s rural health centers, said word about the center got around quickly once work on the office got started. “I’ve heard a lot of positive comments about it. People seem pleased that there will be local doctor’s office here. We are already getting calls for appointments.”
The Rural Health Center-Houtzdale is Tyrone Hospital’s most recent step to improve access to primary care. The hospital’s primary care practices include Tyrone Medical Associates, located on the hospital campus; Bellmeade Family Medicine, located on the northern edge of Altoona in the Martin’s grocery store plaza off of the Interstate 99 Pinecroft exit; and a Rural Health Clinic, located on the hospital campus to provide primary care to patients with Medicaid insurance.
The Tyrone Hospital Rural Health Center- Houtzdale is located at 120 Spring St. in Houtzdale. Patients are seen by appointment and walk-ins are also welcome.
All insurances are accepted. For an appointment or more information call the Rural Health Center-Houtzdale at 814-497-4297.