Giving Matters: Unity Health partners to create wellness hub at Upstate Circle of Friends

This fall, Upstate Circle of Friends (UCF) will add on-site health services to its offerings of life-changing programs for underserved families.

Housed in a newly renovated space on the UCF campus, Unity Health and Wellness Hub at Upstate Circle of Friends will offer medical and mental health care for adults and children, regardless of ability to pay.

The new clinic is part of an innovative partnership between nonprofit medical provider Unity Health on Main, Just Say Something and Upstate Circle of Friends, designed to provide multiple resources in one location to help families achieve and maintain better health. The collaborative effort is made possible by a 2022–2025 Healthy Greenville Grant from Greenville Health Authority.

Norma Jean Suarez, executive director of Unity Health on Main, said in addition to treating patients who are ill, providers will encourage annual well visits, with particular attention paid to addressing chronic conditions like hypertension, obesity and diabetes. Clients diagnosed with these conditions can attend workshops on managing their condition for optimal health and receive related supplies. Monthly FoodShare fresh food boxes will be provided for their families and those identified as food insecure. 

“Our goal is to educate families on the importance of having a medical home with a provider who is familiar with their health needs, to improve outcomes and decrease emergency room utilization”, Suarez said. 

Also funded by the grant are classes on safe food handling, culturally focused meal prep, a teen-pregnancy awareness program and parenting classes in Spanish offered by Just Say Something. Phil Clark, CEO of Just Say Something, said the need for the clinic’s services has been demonstrated in the past year as these programs have already referred more than 100 children and adults to Unity Health’s office on Main Street.  

The Healthy Greenville grant allowed Just Say Something to expand its outreach to Hispanic families by hiring a bilingual staff member, and covers expenses like child care and gas cards.

“We want families to feel at home here. Our goal is to remove barriers that would keep a family from coming,” Clark said. “The classes give them the opportunity to learn how they can make their family stronger and boost communication skills and family literacy, as well as connecting with other parents. After 14 weeks, parents report seeing a difference in their kids, decreased depression and anxiety, and increased family bonding.”

George Singleton, UCF COO, said the partners identified the need for a wellness hub years ago when the last large grocery store in the area closed, creating a food desert in Greenville County District 25. They realized that “health desert” would be a more accurate term.

“Parents of children in our youth programs wanted to know if we had other services,” Singleton said. “There are resources available, but without transportation, it’s hard for people to access them.”

Becky Thomason, grant coordinator for Unity Health, likened the Wellness Hub’s purpose to meeting a hierarchy of needs, starting with basics like medical care and food. Once those needs are met, the partners hope to add services that promote employment and integration into the wider community. 

“We’ve built trust amongst ourselves as partners and the families have come to trust us and each other, sharing their stories and starting to heal from the trauma they’ve experienced,” Suarez said. 

Upstate Circle of Friends also serves the community by providing daily meals for more than 350 children and 60 seniors. It is home to a VetForward program, a USDA Urban Teaching Garden and Dream Preparatory Academy preschool. 

Founder Deloris Pinson, who oversees the food program, said,  “It’s all about education. If we educate people, we empower families to advocate for themselves.”  

To learn more about UCF’s programs, Pinson invited readers to join her for a free, one-hour luncheon at noon on Nov. 15 at First Baptist Greenville. For more information, email Roseanne@UCFGreenville.org.