Milan Puskar Health Right (Health Right) is a free clinic that provides health and dental care to the uninsured and underinsured at no cost in the city of Morgantown, and Marion, Monongalia, Taylor and Preston counties in West Virginia. Founded in 1984, it accommodates nearly 4,000 patients and 22,000 patient visits annually.
Milan Puskar Health Right, originally Morgantown Health Right, was founded in 1984 on the premise, "Every person has a right to health care regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay." [1] [2] For its first few months Health Right operated out of a Baptist church until a retiring physician offered his Spruce Street office rent-free. [3] With its first capital campaign, Health Right purchased a small building with three examination rooms at 154 Pleasant Street, which it outgrew within months. [3] The clinic moved to its current location in May 2003. [1] It was renamed in 2004 to honor Milan Puskar a businessman and philanthropist who generously supported the clinic since its inception. [1] [4] In 2008 the clinic went paperless adopting the HEALTHeWV electronic medical records system. [5] The Marg M. Carney award for excellence in volunteerism was established by the clinic in 2013. The inaugural recipient was Bill McCutcheon, a dentist. [6]
Milan Puskar Health Right is located at 341 Spruce Street in Morgantown, West Virginia, and has satellite clinics[ quantify ] in Marion and Preston counties. [1] [3] Health Right provides health care, dental care, medications, case management, mental health, and social services. [7] Nearly 4,000 patients make over 22,000 visits to Health Right a year. [8] [9] The clinic dispenses and fills about 62,000 prescriptions each year. [8] Health Right's main clinic is open over 400 hours a month. [8]
There is a Teen Clinic and family planning services offered. [10] The Teen Clinic model they developed has been proposed as a way to make services more teen-friendly. [11] The Homeless Care Clinic has 400 visits yearly. [12] The Student and Faculty Experience Clinic (SAFE) is run by students of the West Virginia University School of Medicine. [13] In 2008 and 2009 there were 142 volunteers including 21 physicians and 6 pharmacists. [8] [9] As of 2013 [update] there were 34 nurse practitioners and physician assistants providing services at Health Right. [5] The National Committee for Quality Assurance gives the clinic its highest rating for patient-centered care and recognizes it as a medical home. [14] [15]
Health Right clients must be uninsured and have income no more than 150% of the federal poverty level. [16] As of 2014 [update] the poverty rate in West Virginia is almost 18% and 19% in Monongalia County. [17] As of 2006 [update] West Virginia was the state where it was most likely uninsured adults would go without healthcare and as of 2003 [update] 22% of adult West Virginians did not have health insurance. [16] Many of the clinic's clients are people who work but do not make enough to pay for health care. [16] Some work for employers who do not offer health insurance, some work part-time and do not qualify for benefits and others cannot afford the insurance offered by their employer. [16] In 2009 there was a waiting list of 200 to 300. [18]
Milan Puskar Health Right Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization listed with GuideStar. [19] [20] It is a member of United Way of Monongalia and Preston Counties, United Way of Marion County, and the National Association of Free Clinics. [7] [16] Health Right received $8.4 million worth of in-kind donations in 2004. [1] Health Right received funds in 2013 from a Community Development Block Grant for the Homeless Care Clinic. [12] The Walmart Foundation awarded Health Right a grant in 2010. [21] In 2008 Health Right received a grant from the American Medical Association Foundation to fund a health education program. [9] Partnerships with West Virginia University Hospitals, Monongalia Health System, University Health Associates and Mylan Pharmaceuticals help the clinic fulfill its mission. [1] West Virginia University School of Dentistry supports the dental care program. [1]
Executive Director Laura Jones sees an important continuing role in providing education and access to health care for Health Right and free clinics despite the effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). [22] She states, "We don't expect a drop in need" and, "Even with the passage of the health care bill, our work is needed as much as ever". [23] [24] In 2013 Health Right received a mini-grant to help with enrollment in health insurance options available under the ACA. [25]
Preston County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 34,216. Its county seat is Kingwood. The county was formed from Monongalia County in 1818 and named for Virginia Governor James Patton Preston.
Monongalia County, known locally as Mon County, is located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 105,822, making it West Virginia's third-most populous county. Its county seat is Morgantown. The county was founded in 1776. Monongalia County is included in the Morgantown, WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the largest county in North-Central West Virginia. It is part of the Pittsburgh media market.
Scouting in West Virginia has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.
Morgantown is a city in and the county seat of Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Monongahela River. The most populous city in North Central West Virginia and the fourth-most populous city in the state, Morgantown is best known as the home of West Virginia University. The population was 30,347 at the 2020 census. The city serves as the anchor of the Morgantown metropolitan area, which had a population of 138,176 in 2020.
Star City is a town in Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,779 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Morgantown, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area.
West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser, and clinical campuses for the university's medical and school at Charleston Area Medical Center in Charleston and the Eastern Division at the WVU Medicine Berkeley and Jefferson Medical Centers. WVU Extension Service provides outreach with offices in all 55 West Virginia counties.
Morgantown Municipal Airport is three miles east of Morgantown, in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is also known as Walter L. Bill Hart Field. It sees one passenger airline, Southern Airways Express, subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.
West Virginia Route 705 is a short east–west state highway partially located within the Monongalia County city of Morgantown in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The western terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 19 and West Virginia Route 7, directly in front of the WVU Coliseum. The eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 119 near the Morgantown Municipal Airport. The route is major road in northern Morgantown. It is maintained by the West Virginia Department of Transportation.
Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Burton is an unincorporated community in Wetzel County, West Virginia, United States, located on a stretch of highway where both WV Route 7 and US Route 250 join for a few short miles between Cottontown and Hundred. These two roads are responsible for the majority of traffic to and from the area and provide important connections to New Martinsville to the west ; Fairmont to the southeast ; Morgantown, to the west ; and Moundsville to the northeast. Other important connections include WV Route 69 North into Pennsylvania, where it becomes PA Route 18 and leads towards Waynesburg and beyond to Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh International Airport, is the nearest intercontinental airport, while Burton is also served by a smaller regional airport, Morgantown Municipal Airport.
The Dominion Post is the only commercial daily newspaper in Morgantown, West Virginia. It formed from the merger of the Morgantown New Dominion and the Morgantown News into the Morgantown Dominion-News which, in turn, merged with the Morgantown Post. The term New Dominion was a reference to Virginia's state nickname of "Old Dominion", referencing the separation of West Virginia from Virginia in 1863.
John Reeves Raese is an American businessman and perennial Republican Party candidate for political office in West Virginia. He lost campaigns to represent West Virginia in the United States Senate in 1984, 2006, 2010, and 2012. He was also defeated in the Republican primary in the election for Governor of West Virginia in 1988.
North Central West Virginia is a region of the U.S. state of West Virginia. The region's largest cities are Morgantown, Fairmont, and Clarksburg.
University High School is a senior high school in unincorporated Monongalia County, West Virginia, near Morgantown. A part of Monongalia County Schools, it houses just over 1,250 students. It is a part of the Monongalia County Schools. Students largely come from the 2 feeder schools, Mountaineer Middle School, and Westwood Middle School.
Milan "Mike" Puškar was an American entrepreneur and philanthropist from Morgantown, West Virginia.
Mon Health Medical Center is a 189-bed acute-care community hospital and Level IV Trauma Center located in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. It is part of Mon Health, an "integrated health care delivery system" serving north-central West Virginia, western Maryland, and southwestern Pennsylvania.
The Downtown Morgantown Historic District is a federally designated historic district in Morgantown, Monongalia County, West Virginia. The district, encompassing approximately 75 acres, has 122 contributing buildings and 2 contributing sites including commercial and public buildings, residences, and churches. The district has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since May 2, 1996. Ten of the contributing buildings are listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places. Significant structures located within the historic district are the Monongalia County Courthouse, the Metropolitan Theater, and the Old Morgantown Post Office.
The 2020 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Mountaineers played their home games at the Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium, in Morgantown, West Virginia, and competed in the Big 12 Conference. They were led by second-year head coach Neal Brown.
Danielle Walker is an American politician and community activist, who served as a Democratic member of the West Virginia House of Delegates from 2018 until her resignation in 2023. Through her tenure, Walker was the only Black woman serving in the West Virginia Legislature. In June 2022, Walker was elected vice chair of the West Virginia Democratic Party, she later resigned as vice chairwoman after her selection as the leader of the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia.
The 2022 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Mountaineers played their home games at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia, and competed in the Big 12 Conference. They were led by fourth-year head coach Neal Brown.
