BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Molina Healthcare has opened a new Community Services Center at 3435 Bailey Avenue in Buffalo, targeting resources at the city's South Asian immigrant communities on the East Side.
Molina Healthcare is a managed care company that connects people to free and low-cost health insurance and the new center provides resources specifically for Buffalo's Bengali, Pakistani and Indian communities, with a focus on breaking down language barriers to health insurance enrollment and care.
MD Karim, manager of business development at the center, said the location is designed to serve residents who may struggle to navigate the health care system due to language differences.
"The main focus is the language barrier," Karim said. "This is to support the community based on language barrier. If anybody need health insurance. So they can enroll right away in face-to-face."
Karim said the center also helps connect residents to a range of medical services.
"So we make their appointments to their primary care, specialist, dental, vision," Karim said.
WATCH: Molina Healthcare celebrates grand opening of Community Services Center
Khaleda Shah of Shahjaan's Healthcare Training and Services LLC said the center fills a gap in the insurance industry.
"I see the need for diversity, especially in insurance companies, and that is something that Molina Health is providing," she said.
Joiel Ray-Alexander, Molina's associate vice president for growth and community engagement, said the center is staffed by people with deep ties to the communities it serves.
"These are are industry well born experts who speak the languages of this particular community," Ray-Alexander said.
Those languages include Punjabi, Urdu and Bengali.
Buffalo Common Councilmember Rasheed N.C. Wyatt said the opening is meaningful for a part of the city that has often felt overlooked.
"This is in an area that in many cases feels like it's marginalized and not really seen, and so they have an opportunity to really show the folks and from the diversity that I see, I'm really encouraged that that's something that's going to happen here," Wyatt said.
This Molina Healthcare Community Services Center is located at 3435 Bailey Avenue. It's open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
They can connect eligible people to plans including Medicaid Managed Care, New York Child Health Plus and New York Essential Plan.
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