The Kim Health Center (KHC) and Pellissippi State Community College announced a new partnership to provide health care for uninsured college students and the East Knoxville community.
Through a new, dedicated clinic at Pellissippi State’s Magnolia Avenue campus, KHC will provide primary healthcare services and offer uninsured students and local residents access to affordable, community-based healthcare. The clinic builds on the success of KHC’s existing location on Chapman Highway in South Knoxville.
“Many community college students fall into a vulnerable gap as they lose coverage from programs like CoverKids or their parents’ insurance,” said Erica Lyon, executive director at KHC. “This partnership bridges two critical social determinants of health – education and healthcare – so that young adults can stay healthy, remain in school and achieve their full potential. At the same time, it gives us the ability to provide essential healthcare to the wider East Knoxville community, regardless of whether they are enrolled at Pellissippi State.”
Pellissippi State leaders echoed the importance of wraparound resources for students.
“As a community college, we know the more support we can provide, the more likely our students are to succeed,” said L. Anthony Wise Jr., Pellissippi State president. “Larger universities often have on-campus health clinics. We wanted our uninsured students to have access to high-quality healthcare options as well.”
The Kim Health Center is a primary care and dental care clinic for the uninsured serving the greater Knox County and East Tennessee region. The clinic location at Pellissippi State is open to all uninsured students, and the uninsured community at large in a novel and community-based concept.
“Our campus is deeply connected to the East Knoxville community,” added Stella Bridgeman, Pellissippi State Magnolia Avenue campus dean. “This partnership strengthens those ties and supports both student success and the economic growth of our area.”
Pellissippi State and KHC’s partnership was born out of the latter’s patient data, which showed a significant demand from younger age groups for primary care as well as patients traveling from East Knoxville to South Knoxville to get services.
“Too often, people delay care out of fear of cost, and by the time they finally come in, their health problems are more advanced and harder to treat,” said Dr. Bill Broome, medical director at KHC. “What we want is to catch issues early, whether it’s blood pressure, diabetes or dental problems, before they turn into something that keeps people out of work or sends them to the emergency room. With access to affordable primary care, we can stabilize our patients, prevent disease from progressing and even stop some illnesses from developing in the first place. That’s better for the individual, better for their families and ultimately better for the community.”
Pellissippi State Community College is a public community college based in Knox and Blount counties in Tennessee and operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The college operates four campuses: Hardin Valley, Blount County, Strawberry Plains, and Magnolia Avenue.
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