Miranda Grable, a patient at UBMD Family Medicine at Jefferson, is thrilled when she discusses her family’s care at the center. “The overall treatment is very nice, very professional,” she says. “And I love Dr. Patel. He has my whole entire family: my husband, my son, my daughter, my father.”

Grable is one of many local patients whose medical care was in jeopardy when Kaleida Health decided to close its Deaconess Family Medicine practice on Humboldt Avenue. UB reached out, partnering with the health-care provider to open a top-of-the-line facility to sustain medical treatment in a neighborhood where options are few and access is limited.

Rates of diabetes and heart disease there are well above national levels, and according to Grable, “A lot of the people don’t have transportation.” Without UBMD Family Medicine at Jefferson, located just a few blocks from the original site, many in this community would be left without care.

With the center, not only have these patients benefited from continued treatment from longtime providers, patients have seen drastic improvements in the delivery of their health care. “When we were at the Deaconess Center, sometimes we would have to wait up to an hour-and-a-half for our appointments,” says Grable. “Now it’s down to five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes at the most.”

Vinod R. Patel, MD, the center’s medical director, credits its new electronic medical record system with improved patient care. The center was the first of UB’s family medicine facilities to use handheld PCs to maintain patient records, and according to Patel, “Our goal is to eventually use completely paperless records to streamline forms and appointments and get patients in and out faster.”

Patel says that the predominantly African-American neighborhood has responded enthusiastically to the new clinic. “Previously, we lost patients because of the long wait to see a doctor. Now, they say how nice it is here, how well people treat you. It’s been a stimulus for other patients to come here.”

1315 Jefferson Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14208
Phone: (716) 332-3797