Jenks Park Pediatrics Continues To Provide Care For The Uninsured

On any given weekday, Jenks Park Pediatrics (JPP), is bustling with life. Immigrant families seeking refuge arrive to the Central Falls practice usually by word-of-mouth.

“With POC support we continue to provide free care to children and women without insurance: primary care for the kids and breast and cervical cancer screening for women,” said Dr. Beata Nelken, Jenks Park founder. “This includes visits for 541 new children and young adults in pediatrics in the last year and 683 visits for cancer screening and prevention. Lives have been saved, cancers treated, and everyone is much healthier all-around.”

Dr. Nelken says the influx of new patients further underscores the need for comprehensive pediatric services and additional screening measures that focus on nutrition, mental health and specialized support groups for autistic children. Nelken credits JPP’s success in addressing these critical concerns to families having access to a trilingual nutritionist and bilingual social worker.

“It’s unusual for a small office to offer these services, but because of POC’s partnership, we have been able to provide exceptional care in every realm of health. Our hope is to form resource support groups for these parents, continue to connect them to community assistance, each other, specialized education support, and day-to-day assistance at home,” she said.

As JPP enters its fifth year of operation, looking ahead requires them to remain grounded in their foundational principles. At JPP, that commitment translates into unwavering support for patients and families navigating the complexities of immigration and ensuring all children grow up physically and developmentally healthy.