Chester County Medicine Summer 2021 - 28

www . CHESTER CMS .or g
LCH Serves Southern
Chester County
BY LEEANN RILOFF
S
outhern Chester County
is a particularly scenic part
of Pennsylvania, full of
rambling horse farms, rolling hills,
cornfields, and, of course, the
world-famous Longwood Gardens.
Home to the " mushroom capital of
the world " in Kennett Square, the
Nursery capital of Pennsylvania in
West Grove, and the many horse
farms, the region is known for
its farming and equestrian roots.
For many of the people who live
and work here, however, life can
be difficult, and the barriers to
good health are numerous. These
are the people that LCH Health and Community Services was
established to serve.
Southern Chester County is the fastest growing part of Chester
County, and towns such as Kennett Square and Oxford have
experienced business growth that has led to more vibrant and
diverse communities. Along with point-to-point horse racing,
hot air ballooning, award winning restaurants, craft breweries
and wineries for every type of recreational taste, the region is
home to dozens of mushroom farms, year-round indoor growing
facilities that are staffed primarily by immigrants giving southern
Chester County its unique flair. Over the years, Italian workers
were supplanted by Puerto Rican and Mexican workers at these
mushroom farms, all of whom integrated into the community.
Many farmworkers in this area today
are from Central American countries.
For any new immigrant, health
care can be a daunting challenge.
The health insurance landscape
is confusing, and language and
transportation barriers can be
overwhelming; southern Chester
County has virtually no public
transportation. LCH Health and
Community Services helps vulnerable
community members access highquality,
culturally sensitive care. Its
mission is to change lives by serving
southern Chester County as the
leading provider of integrated health
and community services. New immigrants appreciate the caring
service that LCH offers; however, other populations (including
Medicaid and Medicare patients, and small business owners with
limited health coverage) also benefit from access to LCH's high
quality care.
LCH was founded in 1973, initially to provide social services
for the growing population of immigrants, and soon offered
health care as well. In 2012, LCH became a Federally Qualified
Health Center, funded in part with support from the U.S. Health
Resources and Services Administration. At that time, they became
a member of a network of Community Health Centers across the
U.S., which collectively provides a critical health safety net for
uninsured and underinsured individuals.
28 CHESTER COUNTY Medicine | SUMMER 2021
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Chester County Medicine Summer 2021

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