United Health Centers unveils sixth location in Fresno

United Health Centers (UHC) opened its new location Thursday at 645 S. Minnewawa Ave. in Fresno. Photo by Ben Hensley

United Health Centers (UHC) opened its new health center Thursday at 645 S. Minnewawa Ave. in Fresno, in front of several hundred people, three show bands from nearby Sunnyside High School, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer and council member Luis Chavez.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said UHC CEO Colleen Curtis, adding that planning for the center on Minnewawa and Kings Canyon Road began in 2018 – before Fresno had UHC centers in the city. . “It takes everyone to make this happen.”

The opening of the new center marks the tenth center to open since the start of 2020, with UHC opening six locations in 2020 and three more locations in 2021.

There are currently 26 health care centers in the UHC network, with centers spanning Fresno, Clovis, and Madera, as well as more rural areas such as Mendota, Dinuba, and Raisin City.

“Two years ago, we didn’t have a single location in the city of Fresno,” said UHC assistant general manager Justin Preas. “To date, we have six.”

Curtis went on to say that during the early years of CSU in the early 1970s, many referred to it as the “free clinic”, claiming that there was a low quality stigma associated with the health care network.

Curtis assured those present that was not the case.

“Here in southeast Fresno, we not only have a top-notch facility that can rival any facility in the country,” Curtis said, “we have quality health care with certified providers by council – medical providers that I would guarantee you would match anywhere in the nation.”

Three other clinic openings are planned by the end of the year.

“What they [UHC] doing is transformational,” Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said. “It’s transformational for a neighborhood, but it’s [also] transformational in people’s lives.

Dyer said opportunity and access were the main reasons the center was able to be completed.

The Minnewawa facility will provide medical and dental services, as well as optometry, laboratory and x-ray services, and women’s health services.

“Our vision at UHC is to be one-stop shopping,” Curtis said.