(Pottsville) -- People in one midstate county who struggle to afford health care could soon have greater access to low- or no-cost treatment. The proposed facility could provide medical care in Schuylkill County for everything from dentistry to behavioral health. The nonprofit Schuylkill County's VISION is coordinating the effort, which includes The Commonwealth Medical College and the county's four hospitals. Executive Director Kay Jones says a new medical facility would serve an unmet need in the county, especially for families. "When they make referrals for families, often with more than one child, to multiple sources of help, it's very difficult for families to coordinate all that. What we're looking to do is possibly provide a single point of reference for those families, so that they can get their needs met at a single place," Jones says. The groups will come up with a plan for the center and then apply for federal grant money to fund it. No location has been selected for the proposed so-called "Federally Qualified Health Center," though Jones says there are many areas of the county that are medically underserved.










