Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center has been acknowledged as a national leader in the control of hypertension, or high blood pressure, among their peer health care practices.  RCCHC is one of 98 medical practices in 19 states that are members of OCHIN, a national Health Center Information Network utilizing an Epic-based electronic medical record. 

OCHIN tracks measures of quality healthcare and patient outcomes by individual member practices which represent over 10,000 Doctors, Nurse Practitioners and PAs.  RCCHC was recently acknowledged as the OCHIN practice ranked number 1 in controlling hypertension, a leading contributor to chronic illness and death due to stroke and heart disease. 

“Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center should be very proud of the great work they are doing to improve the health of Eastern North Carolina communities. The Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center clinical team is a leader in hypertension control among the OCHIN Collaborative, and their culture of continuous quality improvement serves as a model for other health centers across the nation.“ Abby Sears, OCHIN CEO. 

In addition, RCCHC is consistently ranked in the top 5 percent of the OCHIN collaborative as a high performing health center based on patient outcomes and financial measures as identified by the Health Resources Services Administration HRSA’s Bureau of Primary Care.

“RCCHC’s clinical staff has long prioritized quality initiatives focused on the key challenges that impact our communities.” said Dr. Claudia Richardson, RCCHC’s Chief Medical Officer “patients are always at the center of these initiatives and knowing we are achieving top quality results for our patients is significant.”

RCCHC, an FQHC since May 2005, provides comprehensive primary care and pediatric services with locations in Ahoskie and Murfreesboro (Hertford County), Colerain (Bertie County) and Creswell (Washington County) North Carolina.  As a designated community health and migrant center, RCCHC’s mission is to provide comprehensive care that reduces health disparities for the Roanoke Chowan area.  Additionally RCCHC staffs The Hertford County Student Wellness Center which operates during the school year and allows students to seek behavioral health services without having to leave campus, reducing absenteeism and in turn keeping kids in the classroom giving them a greater chance to successfully complete curriculum requirements.

RCCHC operations are a HRSA Health Center Program grantee under 42 U.S.C. 254b.

A familiar face is returning to Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center as its new Chief Medical Officer, Roanoke-Chowan area native, Dr. Claudia Weaver Richardson.    Dr. Richardson is an experienced OB/GYN who, before joining RCCHC,  served as President of Roanoke-Chowan Women’s Center, Medical Director for OIC in Rocky Mount, NC, and Medical Director of Planned Parenthood of Maryland.  

She holds a B.S. in Biology from Duke University, received her M.D. from the East Carolina Brody School of Medicine, and formal training in obstetrics and gynecology from Wayne State University Medical Center in Detroit, MI. In 2003, Richardson received a Masters in Public Health from UNC Chapel Hill.  She has two children Joseph Robert Richardson and Ross Howard Richardson and is a member of the Xi Rho Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

“RCCHC’s team is thrilled to have Dr. Richardson leading our clinical team and carrying on her family’s incredibly legacy of caring for the health care needs of our communities here in the Roanoke Chowan region.  Dr. Richardson’s passion for quality, compassionate patient care along with her dedication to the care of the clinical staff needs all contribute to why she is the perfect Chief Medical Officer at this time,” said Kim Schwartz, RCCHC CEO.  

A welcome reception is being hosted by the RCCHC Board of Directors on Tuesday, May 8 at Ahoskie Comprehensive Care, 120 Health Center Drive, Ahoskie from 5 to 6 p.m.  

“It is a privilege to honor my mother and father’s legacy by serving the community that they cherished. I’m excited to join an excellent team of forward thinking providers and staff who are willing and prepared to handle the challenge of modern medicine, without compromising the invaluable relationship of primary care provider and patient,” Richardson said.  

Currently, North Carolina community health centers serve approximately 200,000 uninsured patients statewide with primary care services.  Many people who are uninsured show up to our clinics with conditions that have grown worse over time due to a lack of insurance.  The vast majority of these people are the working poor that make too little to afford the cost of health insurance premiums, and make too much for Medicaid.  They are caught in the “coverage gap.”

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A familiar name in Eastern North Carolina has joined the team of medical providers at Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center’s Murfressboro Primary Care.

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Doctors say the flu is widespread in our area.  It's not too late to get the flu shot.  Contact one of the Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center clinics for more information.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) also recommends the following:

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