Mayor Wilson and CEO of Inova Announce Opening of Two New Community Health Programs in Alexandria
ALEXANDRIA, VA—On Saturday, May 8, a ribbon cutting officially opened two new community health programs in Alexandria: the Inova Cares Clinic for Women, and the Inova Ewing FACT Department.
Both facilities are located next to the current Inova Cares Clinic for Families and Inova Transitional Services at 4700 King St.
Karen Berube, Vice President of Community and Population Health at Inova explained, “This [women and children’s] clinic will be providing high quality obstetrical services and gynecological care education and support services to under-resourced women in Alexandria.
“And the Inova Ewing department is going to provide close-to-home, compassionate, expert care for victims of human trafficking, sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse.”
The President and CEO of Inova Health System, J. Stephen Jones, MD, gave brief remarks to unveil the new clinics.
“The Inova community is serving everyone regardless of their need, regardless of their ability to pay for their health care,” began Dr. Jones. “These new facilities will provide access and a better relationship between our providers and our communities. I am especially thankful for the partnership between Mayor Wilson and the City of Alexandria, but also the other local jurisdictions and their respective health departments and their great work to improve the health of all our residents.”
Following Dr. Jones, Dana Ismail, a Clinical Technician for CVICU, shared her story of how Inova has not only helped her medically and financially, but personally.
An immigrant from Libya, Dana Ismail came to America to further her education, when she discovered she needed emergency surgery to remove an ovarian cyst. “It was really hard for me to be able to think about my pain and try and manage it and also know that I have a huge problem ahead of me: having to pay 15-17 thousand dollars for the surgery.”
Dana was uninsured and responsible for her siblings and parents still in Libya, but “Inova Cares Clinic for Women went above and beyond” to help Dana manage her mental and physical health in recovery, as well as her finances and her family.
This support from Inova inspired Dana to become a part of the Inova team. Now she is a Clinical Technician at CVICU, and a living, breathing example of the importance of Inova’s mission.
Finally, Mayor Wilson spoke on both the importance of that mission and the people who make pursuing that mission possible. “For the folks who work here, this is not just a career,” Mayor Wilson proclaimed. “This is a cause, this is a mission to serve these patients, and thanks to all of you for all the work that you do. Every day I hear from our residents their appreciation for the hard work you guys do.”
Following the remarks from Dr. Jones, Ms. Ismail, and Mayor Wilson was a tour of the two facilities.
“I think the commitment from Inova shows through when you see how beautiful these spaces are,” stated Karen. “We really want people to feel welcome and I think when you walk through the sites, you will see that.”
And see that you will, but you will also feel it. These state of the art facilities will provide not only health care and medical aid to the Alexandria community, but they will become a centrally-located support system for all Northern Virginians; one which provides compassion and direction alongside medicine.
For more information regarding all Inova facilities, visit inova.org/inova-community.
