West Cecil Health Center (WCHC) has been awarded a $10,000 grant through the Cecil County FY 2019 Video Lottery Terminal (VLT) Community Grants Program, providing partial support to add vision services at their Conowingo location.  In a highly competitive grant application process, WCHC was one of 48 out of 66 grant awardees for the FY 2019 cycle.

With the grant funding, WCHC plans to accomplish phase one of a multi-phase project which will implement vision exams through a part-time Optometrist at its state-of-the-art health care facility in Conowingo. The organization plans to have the program up-and-running by the end of FY 2019.

Access to affordable vision services is a significant gap for residents in the Cecil County community; this gap prohibits many from receiving routine and preventive eye care which can result in permanent vision impairment or blindness, thus altering a person’s ability to learn and work, and one’s overall quality of life. Vision impairment or blindness can stand alone or concomitant with a chronic disease like diabetes or glaucoma; housing both health care providers under one roof would be pivotal for residents of this community.

“Our mission is to provide access to affordable, quality health care services to those who need it most,” says John Ness, CEO of West Cecil Health Center. “With  the Cecil County VLT grant, we are one step closer to providing more necessary services like vision exams for those in  our community!”

WCHC is a nonprofit healthcare system located in Conowingo, Havre de Grace and Perryville, providing affordable services such as behavioral health, dental, primary care and women’s health. To learn more about WCHC or to make a donation to help the nonprofit provide low-cost health care to community members in need, visit westcecilhealth.org.