About Neighborhood Health Services Corporation
Neighborhood Health Services Corporation (NHSC), previously known as the Plainfield Health Center (PHC), was born under the auspices of the 1960's Model Cities Neighborhood Program. Led by a dedicated group of community activists, the Center was initially created to provide accessible health care to the underserved residents of the West End of Plainfield.
The first facility opened in 1969 as a "well-baby clinic" housed in a storefront facility on West 4th Street. It started as a maternal and child health care program dedicated to reversing the community's high infant mortality rate, which was, at that time, 26.6 infants for every 1000 births. The community also experienced a high incidence of preventable illnesses caused by lead poisoning, communicable diseases, and poor dental health.
In 2006, the corporate name was changed from Plainfield Health Center to Neighborhood Health Services Corporation to reflect the expansion of its services into other geographic regions in Union County.
Since its inception in 1969, Neighborhood Health Services Corporation continued to expand its reach of providing healthcare services to the surrounding communities where it has satellite locations. As additional services were added, there was an increase in provider staff and a new satellite health center opened in Elizabeth in 2003. Today, Neighborhood Health Services Corporation serves more than 22,000 patients of all ages annually. Its total care program provides internal medicine, obstetrics, gynecology, family planning, pediatrics, dentistry, and social work support services. Additional services include HIV/AIDS treatment and therapy, nutritional counseling, and outreach services. The "well-baby clinic" of more than 30 years ago has expanded to a comprehensive parental care program, which provides a full scope of on-site prenatal and support services.