| Coordinated Health Services has been in full-time operation since April, 1992 and was legally incorporated as a 501(C)(03) corporation in August, 1993. CHS is sponsored by a coalition of community agencies, including University and St. Joseph Hospitals, Catholic Social Services, Salvation Army, CSRA Economic Opportunity Authority, Richmond County Health Department, and St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church. CHS is a member of the Augusta Task Force for the Homeless, Inc. and the Augusta-Richmond County Continuum of Care initiative. Its mission is to improve the health of homeless people and those at high risk for homelessness. In 1994 CHS’ services were extended to the Golden Harvest Food Bank’s soup kitchen, The Master's Table, using CHS’ nurse practitioner, outreach nurse, and volunteer doctors and nurses. In September, 1998 CHS accepted the invitation of the Salvation Army to provide health services at its shelter. This was done primarily to provide easy access to health services for clients in the most dire need. This has proven to be an excellent cooperative effort on the part of both agencies. The new health site was named the St. Vincent dePaul Health Center, in recognition of a long-established tradition of St. Vincent dePaul Societies worldwide in service to the poor and homeless. After the health center relocated to the Salvation Army, census at the soup kitchen clinic gradually declined and was discontinued in 2003, except for flu shot clinics every Fall. |
