A new project in North Philadelphia is transforming an old skating rink into a new comprehensive health center. The health center will be open to everyone, even to those without insurance.
It was the ceremonial wall breaking of what will be the Carman Gardens Health Center, serving residents between Hunting Park and East Tioga.
Brian Clark with Greater Philadelphia Health Action says the project will transform the old Carman Gardens Skate Rink into a 22,000-square-foot community health hub.
“We provide primary care for all ages, dental services, behavior health, pharmacy, lab, and we also have specialty, infectious disease, podiatry, rheumatology, endocrinology,” Clark said.
Clayton Pickens is a block captain who’s lived in North Philly for 50 years. He believes the health center will be a game-changer for people in the neighborhood who have health challenges related to economics and access.
“We take all insurance, whether you’re commercially insured, Medicare, Medicaid, and we will see if you have no insurance,” Clark said.
Doctors say a comprehensive health center is sorely needed here, even though the new health center is just blocks from Temple Hospital.
Josh Klaris with North10 Philadelphia says, ideally, the new health center will help people stay out of the hospital.
“We should not be going to the hospital for our regular routine checkups. We should not be using the emergency room when we don’t need to,” Klaris said. “I know it’s going to change the health of this neighborhood.”
It’s a neighborhood that knows hardships, where basic health care may soon be easier to access. The new health center is slated to open in 2027.
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