In an effort to expand service to a historically-underserved region of Santa Clara County, a new public health center is coming to Gilroy next year.
Santa Clara Family Health Plan, which announced the new venture this week, said the Community Resource Center will offer a slate of free services, including health and wellness classes and assistance applying for insurance.
“Finally, our families will have a place where they will be heard, to be taken care of, and to have a person follow up on their individual cases,” said Lucy Navarro, a resident who gave input on the upcoming center, in a news release. “I am very excited.”
Santa Clara Family Health Plan, a publicly-funded health plan which largely serves low-income residents, is purchasing and renovating a building in Gilroy for the center and expects the project to cost $9 million and open in late 2025.
The site will help enroll residents in MediCal, CalFresh, and Covered California and refer residents to other community resources for food, housing and health care. They will also offer fitness and wellness classes such as Zumba, yoga, or classes on healthy cooking. All programs and services will be free to the community.
The announcement follows a survey by the health provider last year that showed many residents in southern Santa Clara County felt that there was a lack of health and wellness resources and were unaware of any resources that were available.
“We recognized that we needed to have a physical presence in Gilroy to better serve those members,” said Chelsea Byom, Vice President for Marketing, Communications & Outreach for the health group. “Access to resources in South County is a challenge and not the same access that you would get elsewhere in the county. That was why it became a priority to us.”
While a similar center opened in East Side San Jose in 2021, health services in south Santa Clara county have been historically limited, despite many MediCal recipients living in Gilroy and Morgan Hill.
“Our current community resource center … has become a crucial pillar of support in addressing health disparities in East San José,” said Christine M. Tomcala, Chief Executive Officer of South County Family Health Plan in a news release. “Opening this new center in Gilroy will enable us to reach many more of our members in South County to connect them to the resources and services they need.”
Before the opening, local residents can get assistance accessing health care resources on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Neon Exchange in downtown Gilroy.
