More than 30 years ago, a mother brought her 7-year-old son to see pediatrician Rekha Yagnik, MD.
The boy had been complaining of leg pain, which had been attributed to growing pains. Suspecting something more, Dr. Yagnik ordered tests and got news that every parent dreads. The child had leukemia.
Happily, after successful treatment, that boy is now a 42-year-old man with a family of his own.
“Periodically, he comes to see me just to say hello. He and his mom are very grateful that it was diagnosed,” Dr. Yagnik said.
Theirs are just a few of the lives Dr. Yagnik has touched during her time at ChesPenn Health Services, which operates three federally qualified community health centers in Chester and Coatesville.
The clinics care for those who might otherwise have a hard time finding medical and dental services. About 70 percent of their patients are on Medicaid, and the number of uninsured, once at 20 percent, is increasing.
“It’s a very important service, especially for adults who are not well insured because they do not really have many choices. The majority of the private practices in the area limit the number of Medicaid patients they take,” said Dr. Yagnik, medical director of ChesPenn.
“We can see them on a sliding fee scale. They may pay as little as nothing or $10. If they are ill or sick, we see them even if they cannot pay,” she added.
The clinics provide more than just medical treatment. They also offer social services, limited transportation, an in-house pharmacy, and dental care. The Chester clinics are located on the opposite ends of town so most patients can walk to them.
“People from the east side cannot come to the west side and vice versa. There is some bus service but for a mom with four kids, getting on a bus is not very practical,” Dr. Yagnik said.
ChesPenn got its start as Children’s Clinics of Chester and Vicinity in 1973. In the beginning, the office was a trailer, and the staff was one nurse, one receptionist, and Dr. Yagnik, who worked part-time.
Within three years, the group opened a second clinic in Chester. They soon moved into more permanent facilities and later opened the Coatsville clinic.
The staff of three has swelled to 70 full and part-time employees. For Dr. Yagnik, what started out as a part-time job has turned into much more.
“As the practice grew, the community grew on me. Now that I’ve been here so many years, I’m seeing not only one generation but the next generation and the third generation. It’s a sense of belonging,” she said.
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