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VOA Substance Abuse Clinic Now Offers Primary Care

Whittney Evans
The Volunteers of America-Utah Cornerstone Counseling Center now offers primary health services on site.

Low-income and homeless patients at Volunteers of America’s Cornerstone Counseling Center can now access primary care in the same facility they go to get help for substance abuse and mental health disorders.

The new medical clinic at Cornerstone has already served more than 200 patients who otherwise may not have gotten the care they need. Michelle Grossman is the clinic manager. She says many of the patients haven’t seen a doctor in years. Grossman says many times they’re suffering from multiple illnesses or injuries.

“Sometimes it’s for something acute,” Grossman says. “Maybe strep throat, a bad cold, pneumonia, that kind of thing. Or it might be, I haven’t seen a doctor in six or seven years, let me come in and have a checkup and get a physical.”

Another important resource on site is free childcare, says DeAnne Zebelean. She’s with Volunteers of America.

“Many of our clients with children, It’s one of the biggest issues in not seeking care for either substance abuse or domestic violence,” Zebelean says. “Whether they’re in day treatments or outpatient or individual therapies, they can bring their children here and they’ll be supervised while they’re in treatment.”

The medical clinic is a partnership between Volunteers of America, the Utah Department of Health and Salt Lake County Behavioral Health. It’s paid for with funds from several grants. 

Whittney Evans grew up southern Ohio and has worked in public radio since 2005. She has a communications degree from Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky, where she learned the ropes of reporting, producing and hosting. Whittney moved to Utah in 2009 where she became a reporter, producer and morning host at KCPW. Her reporting ranges from the hyper-local issues affecting Salt Lake City residents, to state-wide issues of national interest. Outside of work, she enjoys playing the guitar and getting to know the breathtaking landscape of the Mountain West.
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