FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Shannon Welty

PR & Marketing Coordinator

Direct (716) 505.5513
shannon.welty@aspirewny.org

Aspire Opens New Health Center

To Serve 1,700 Western New Yorkers with Disabilities

(Cheektowaga, N.Y., October 16, 2008) – Aspire of Western New York has opened its newly renovated and expanded health center to meet the growing needs of adults with developmental disabilities. Originally formed in 1971, the Aspire Health Center today serves 1,700 Western New Yorkers with disabilities.

Aspire is now accepting new patients ages 18 and up in internal medicine. Limited openings are available in other areas. Most insurance is accepted, including Medicaid.

According to Thomas Sy, executive director of Aspire, “The opportunity to develop a health center specifically to meet the needs of people with disabilities is something Aspire has awaited for a number of years. The facility features everything from wider doorways and lower exam tables to lifts and other specialized equipment.”

The expansion was made possible through a $2.9 million certificate of need, which was awarded by the state Department of Health due to the patient base growing by nearly 50 people a month and an outdated clinic. Aspire is one of only two area facilities dedicated to serving the medical needs of the disabled.

Located at 7 Community Drive in Cheektowaga, the Aspire Health Center provides comprehensive, coordinated care – including primary, neurology, podiatry, therapy services, mental health and women’s health.

Key features of the 16,000 square-foot facility include:

• Increase in number of exam rooms from 4 to 8
• Dedicated, covered accessible entrance
• Expanded waiting room with confidential registration area
• Centralized medical records
• Redesigned, dedicated therapy suites
• Ceiling lift system

Aspire of WNY (formerly the United Cerebral Palsy Association) is a comprehensive provider of programs and services for adults and children with developmental disabilities including, but not limited to: cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, epilepsy, autism, traumatic brain injury and other neurological impairments.  Aspire envisions full participation of individuals with disabilities so that they may live their lives to the fullest in keeping with their informed choices.  The agency employs approximately 1,500 people in locations throughout Western New York. For more information, visit www.aspirewny.org. 

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