CLEVELAND — A major transformation is underway. Neighborhood Family Practice (NFP) is converting a former CVS Pharmacy, located at the corner of West 130th Street and Lorain Avenue, into a new Community Health Center. The area, which lost three chain drug stores in recent years, will soon have a pharmacy again, along with additional healthcare services.
Dominic Hopson, president and CEO of Neighborhood Family Practice, said the new location will offer expanded medical care.
“For our medical and primary care services, we’re going to add new providers and increase access to critical services," Hopson said. "And for dental care, we’re almost tripling the services we provide by opening this new location.”
The project recently received funding from the City of Cleveland, and will replace NFP's current Lorain Avenue location, which is about half a mile away. The new center will be larger and better equipped to serve the community’s needs.
NFP currently operates seven locations on Cleveland’s west side and in Lakewood. Hopson emphasized that becoming part of the community and hiring local staff is central to the organization’s success.
“It really boils down to people,” Hopson said. “We focus on how we treat our patients and how we support our community. Those are the things that allow us to be successful.”
NFP relies on a combination federal grants and programs, insurance as well as donations. The organization primarily serves communities with significant barriers to healthcare, the most prominent being cost.
“Unfortunately, many times their health is put on the back burner,” Hopson said. “We do our best to make sure our services are accessible, affordable, and of high quality.”
Providing primary and preventive care is a central goal for NFP. The organization’s success has led to plans for expanding further, including a new Community Health Center on Cleveland’s east side, which NFP hopes to announce in the coming months.
“We’re leveraging our relationships with community partners to expand and add services at both of these new locations,” Hopson said.
Dominic Hopson came from the public health space in Cincinnati to take the lead job at Neighborhood Family Practice.
“For someone like me who grew up dependent on programs that support people with fewer resources, it was critical for me to work in a space where I could have an impact,” he said.
Creating new locations and partnerships, the organization is following a new strategic plan launched in 2023.
“There’s still a ton of need across our city, and we have a role to play by providing more access to the amazing services we offer,” Hopson said. “That’s what you’ve seen over the last two years as we work behind the scenes to take advantage of opportunities that we see out there.”
The new health center at West 130th and Lorain Avenue is expected to open by mid-2025.