Curtis V Cooper Primary Health Care

About Curtis V Cooper Primary Health Care

Curtis V. Cooper Primary Health Care, Inc. (CVCPHC) is a non-profit community health center, funded federally and locally to serve citizens of the Savannah-Chatham County area. Our commitment to service dates back to 1971, when Dr. Curtis V. Cooper organized a group of citizens from the west side of Savannah for the sole purpose of funding a primary health care center to serve the under-served. Dr. Cooper recognized the lack of accessible and affordable primary health care for residents following the exodus of hospitals and physicians to the more affluent south side of the city. After much planning and a feasibility study, the Westside Comprehensive Health Center saw its first patients in 1974 from a make-shift building on West Bay Street. Once his vision came to fruition, Dr. Cooper left his job with the Department of Agriculture to become the organization's first Executive Director. In 1975, our newly constructed Roberts Street location opened its doors and is still in operation today. In 1977, the Urban Health Center was established at 115 York Street to expand our commitment to service. In 1981, there was an event that brought about an organizational name change in addition to administrative changes. Federal authorities announced that they would only fund one health care entity in a city the size of Savannah, but they would support a merged organization. This was the origin of the name Westside-Urban Health Center, Inc. Dr. Cooper's tenure continued until his death in January 2000.Dr. Cooper's mission was to serve and make his corner of the world better for those who could not speak for themselves. Because of Dr. Cooper's vision and foresight, land was purchased that enabled us to build a state-of-the-art healthcare facility at 106 East Broad Street in 2003. It was during this dedication that the official name was changed to Curtis V. Cooper Primary Health Care, Inc. in honor of the gentle giant whose vision has become our reality.