COATESVILLE, PA — Union Community Care is building Chester County’s first school-based community health center inside Coatesville Area Senior High School, creating a year-round access point for medical care as the city continues to contend with reduced health care availability following Brandywine Hospital’s 2022 closure.
The roughly 1,000-square-foot center is under construction in a former classroom and is expected to open in January 2027, following the district’s winter break. It will serve students, school employees, families and members of the broader community.
Unlike a school nurse’s office, which is limited primarily to students, the federally qualified health center will have a separate entrance, allowing community patients to access services without entering the rest of the school.
Union Community Care is expected to offer same-day treatment for illnesses and injuries, well-child visits, physical examinations, screenings, medication and chronic disease management, vaccinations, women’s health and reproductive health care.
The center will also connect patients with services including dental screenings and sealants, vision care, X-rays and diagnostic imaging, behavioral health treatment, prenatal care and community resources such as food assistance.
The project is backed by $100,000 in state funding secured by state Sen. Carolyn Comitta. The Coatesville Area School District is providing the space without charging rent or requiring a lease, while Union Community Care will staff the center and manage patient billing.
“This is like having an urgent care right in the school,” Comitta stated. She argued that locating care on campus could reduce transportation and scheduling barriers while limiting the amount of work and class time missed by parents and students.
The center is designed to provide care regardless of a patient’s insurance status or ability to pay. Union Community Care accepts commercial insurance, Medical Assistance and Medicare, while uninsured and underinsured patients can qualify for sliding-fee discounts based on household income and size.
That access carries particular significance in Coatesville, where the loss of Brandywine Hospital in 2022 reduced nearby hospital services. The school district serves more than 5,000 students, while approximately 18% of residents in the broader community live in poverty.
Coatesville Superintendent Anthony Rybarczyk described the center as an opportunity to put medical and dental services within easier reach of students, employees and residents.
“The fact that our students, staff, and community members have access to medical and dental services right at their fingertips provides an incredible opportunity to remove barriers to care,” Rybarczyk stated.
For Union Community Care, the project also represents an expansion of its relatively recent presence in Chester County. The Coatesville facility is expected to become the nonprofit health network’s sixth school-based location.
“When young people have reliable access to healthcare, they are better able to learn, grow, and pursue what is possible for their lives,” Union Community Care President and CEO Alisa Jones stated. She described the project as both a resource for students and a longer-term health care access point for the surrounding community.
School-based health centers operate at the intersection of health care and education, placing clinical services where children already spend much of their weekday schedules. The School-Based Health Alliance estimates there are between 3,900 and 4,500 such centers nationwide, including about 30 in Pennsylvania.
The Coatesville center will differ by extending that model beyond the student population. Its separate public entrance and year-round operation are intended to make the facility available to the wider community even when regular classes are not in session.
Comitta also tied the project to broader concerns about access to health coverage and medical services in western Chester County. She continues to advocate for the return of hospital and emergency care services to the Coatesville area.
“In addition to keeping kids healthy and learning, school-based health centers can reduce emergency room visits and cut hospital congestion while connecting patients with an array of other community and health services,” Comitta stated.
Construction is expected to continue through the coming months, with the center targeted to begin seeing patients in January.
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