Grant Money, Extended Hours For Dolan Center

The Dolan Family Health Center is located at 284 Pulaski Road in Greenlawn.

Northwell officials recently announced that the Dolan Family Health Center in Greenlawn has been awarded an $857,000 state grant, and will be open for additional hours this year.

The state grant, awarded by the Department of Health Office of Primary Care and Health Systems Management, will be used to train medical residents at the center, which is operated by Huntington Hospital.

The expanded programming will be offered to residents from Huntington Hospital, Glen Cove Hospital, Plainview Hospital and Southside Hospital in Bay Shore over the next three-and-a-half years. The Doctors Across New York Ambulatory Care Training Program will increase the hours family medicine, podiatry and OB/GYN residents can receive training and broaden their exposure to include behavioral health. In addition, the residents will also take part in monthly orthopaedic clinic sessions and learn about point-of-care ultrasounds.

“The residents who have trained at the Dolan Family Health Center speak highly of their experiences and we are elated to be able to expand this educational opportunity with the New York State Department of Health grant,” said Joseph Volavka, MBA, senior administrative director at the Dolan Family Health Center.

The center is also now operating under extended hours for 2018, adding an additional eight hours of availability each week.

It’s open Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Mondays and Wednesdays, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Fridays, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

“This will afford patients the opportunity to focus on preventative care and not access Dolan only for episodic care,” said Dolan Family Health Center Medical Director William Gehrhardt, MD.

A committee to review operational hours found that numerous patients were concerned about access to health care. The ability to book later medical appointments was a top response from the more than 400 people who took a survey.

“We are listening to the voice of our community and responding to what its increasing needs are,” said Kathy Giffuni, RN, assistant director of nursing-ambulatory, who chaired the committee.