Not to be confused with UPMC, Universal Primary Care — or UPC — will soon expand its services in the Bradford area.
Currently, UPC occupies a small clinic at 159 Interstate Parkway. The company recently purchased Bradford Regional Medical Center’s former SMART physical and occupational therapy facility at 2 Center St.
The move will more than triple the space the Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) has to offer up its services, from birth to end of life. The thing to note about an FQHC, is that it provides services regardless of insurance, income or ability to pay — any member of the community can go to UPC and receive treatment. Depending upon income, these services may be of no cost to the person seeking treatment because payment is based on a sliding fee scale.
Universal Primary Care’s legal name is Southern Tier Community Health Center Network Inc. It was first established and still operates in Cuba, N.Y., and is headquartered now at 135 N. Union St. in Olean, N.Y. It also has New York locations in Houghton and Salamanca.
UPC opened its Bradford location in 2019, just before the covid pandemic. Services currently offered there include pediatrics, family care, women’s health and care coordination. Providers are Dr. Anil Pradhan, part-time pediatrician; Nicholle Aiello, certified nurse midwife; Francesca Parry, nurse practitioner; and a part-time OB-GYN who is on site periodically.
Jodie Wagner, chief human resources officer with UPC, added, “We are excited to announce that we are recruiting for an LCSW to be able to offer behavioral health at the Bradford location very soon.”
Wagner and UPC Chief Executive Officer Brett Lawton said the new building will enable the clinic to add services.
“The goal with our expansion is to be able to offer a more comprehensive service line to the community of Bradford. Dental and behavioral health care are consistently seen as high-need service lines and we are pleased to provide access to this much needed care in the Bradford community,” Lawton said.
“We hope to expand our primary care and women’s health providers as well as improving access to care in the community” Wagner said.
UPC will soon launch a $3 million capital campaign to fund the move and renovate its new, larger space. The facility will remain a nationally recognized Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH), which puts patients at the center of the care team working together to create a personalized plan for reaching healthcare goals.
Lawton said, “Health Centers are required to have a board of directors made up of a majority of people who receive care from the facility, and we’re proud that we have representatives from each of the counties in our service area. It creates great accountability to our patients and our community. UPC’s Mission is high-quality healthcare for every member of our community and we mean that.”
