NEW HEALTH CENTER: At the official opening ceremony of the Capital Health Primary Care center on Witherspoon Street, members of Princeton Council including Leticia Fraga, fourth from left; Michelle Pirone Lambros, sixth from left; and Eve Niedergang, third from right; along with Mayor Mark Freda, between Lambros and Niedergang; posed with clinic staff.

By Anne Levin

For residents of the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood, Princeton Medical Center’s 2013 move from Witherspoon Street to U.S. Route 1 was a major loss. But comprehensive care has returned to the neighborhood in the form of Capital Health Primary Care, housed in the former Princeton Packet building across the street from where the hospital once stood.

While the center has been in operation for a few months, an official ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on September 21. Patients are offered same-day appointments and evening hours for sick visits, along with regular checkups and preventive care visits. The center covers uninsured children from newborn to age 18, and includes immunizations, physicals, and developmental screenings as well as counseling for parents regarding safety, nutrition, development, and growth.

Jeffrey Grosser, Princeton’s health officer, called the center “a game-changer for Princeton residents in need of comprehensive, accessible health services. For the last several years, health assessments performed by the Princeton Health Department regularly pointed out the lack of localized primary care for residents,” he said. “The ability to have a new, state-of-the-art facility within walking distance for many of our Princeton families should alleviate most barriers with seeing a medical professional.”

Princeton Council President Leticia Fraga, who attended the ribbon-cutting, said the center fills a void. “Several of us have been advocating for this for a long time, really since the hospital left Princeton,” she said. “We’re really excited about it. It has been working really well since the soft opening.”

The center serves those who might not otherwise be able to find necessary medical care. “We continue to get new young folks who are unaccompanied minors arriving in Princeton,” Fraga said. “Before they can enter the school system, they have to be updated on their vaccines. Before, clinics were only scheduled once a month. Now, they can make appointments any time.”

Grosser said Princeton teamed up with Capital Health to provide “child health conferences,” which are a requirement under New Jersey Public Health Practices for the community. “These conferences provide comprehensive preventive health care of infants through school-aged children, specifically providing required immunizations, well exams, screenings, and physicals,” he said. “These conferences act as ‘safety net’ health care providers, particularly for uninsured or under-insured families.”

The Princeton Board of Health has sponsored a “well-baby/child health conference” clinic since the early 20^th century. It was first organized at Princeton Medical Center, remaining on
Witherspoon Street from 1922 until the hospital moved in 2013. Following the move, the clinic operated as part of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Community Health Center [at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center], continuing until this year.

“With the building of the new Capital site, our health assessments have guided the municipality to re-evaluate accessibility of families to these vital services, and led to the new agreement,” said Grosser. “The shared vision for primary care to the community includes a community-based health focus, comprehensive health services, culturally and linguistically competent services, and high quality care.”

Office hours are Monday, Thursday, and Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (closed 12-1 p.m. for lunch); Tuesday and Wednesday 8 a.m.-7 p.m. (closed 4-5 p.m. for lunch). The medical office closes at 3 p.m. every second Tuesday of the month. To schedule an appointment, call (609) 303-4600.