Carolina for the Kids still seeking a permanent clinic location

Carolina for the Kids is still looking for a permanent location for its N.C. Children’s Hospital primary care clinic, but the temporary location on Franklin Street is working well for the moment.

Meagan Barger, executive director of Carolina for the Kids, said the organization has not narrowed down a list of potential final locations.

“It’s moved to a temporary location currently,” Barger said. “While it’s there, we’ll be able to expand the specialty clinics within the hospital.”

Haley Waxman, publicity chairperson for Carolina for the Kids, said there are benefits to the clinic’s current location on East Franklin Street near the Estes Drive intersection, which opened in July.

“It’s right off Franklin Street, great visibility, lots of windows and we have children’s books and toys in every room,” she said.

There is a long-term plan to finish the necessary fundraising, Barger said.

“Our fundraising commitment is to be completed within the next five years,” she said. “It’s up to the hospital to make the decision on location, architecture and design. We’re more on the fundraising end of the project.”

Public transportation is another consideration for the final location.

“We want to make sure the new location is on the bus line so underprivileged families will have access to the primary care,” Barger said.

Michael Steiner, medical director for the N.C. Children’s Hospital Clinics, said the placement of the clinic is important because it caters to a large impoverished population.

He said the clinic provides a variety of services for roughly 250 patients each week.

“We provide on-site breastfeeding, breastfeeding assistants, social workers, innovative interpretative services for families that do not speak English as a primary language,” Steiner said.

Waxman said Carolina for the Kids doesn’t know how much money it will need to complete the project.

“The number is still up in the air right now,” she said. “The money we have to raise will depend upon whether we have to buy land or build on land already owned by the hospital, but we are fully functional out of the new clinic, and we see ourselves being there for probably the next five years or so.”

She said UNC Dance Marathon serves as the primary source of fundraising for Carolina for the Kids, along with smaller events.

“This year we are expecting really great fundraising outcomes,” she said. “We have a record number of dancers signed up. Last time I checked, we were just under 2,500, which is the highest number we ever had.”

Waxman said it’s important for the clinic to find a permanent home. “We just need to find a home that meets all the needs, and not some of them.”

university@dailytarheel.com