We have collected together our most frequently asked questions concerning new patient information, patient care, and services.
New Patient Information
While most of our medical and support services are for registered patients only, we offer some services to the general public. Expectant, new mothers, and young families can use our on-location WIC Program services. We also offer natural childbirth Lamaze Classes to the general public. Our mobile health services and screenings are also available to the community free of charge. We also have on-site independent testing laboratories at selected locations that the general public can use.
Use our care finder above to find a health center location that meets your needs.
To register as our patient, you can:
Yes, we are a Federally Qualified Health Center and provide medical and support services to all regardless of their ability to pay or immigration status. If you qualify for health insurance based on your U.S. Citizenship or legal immigration status, our Certified Application Counselors can help you enroll in public or affordable health insurance. If you do not qualify for health care insurance, you can pay for your services based on a sliding fee in proportion to your income. Our Paying for Your Care page provides details about various ways to pay for your care.
No, we do not check immigration status. You will be provided with health care regardless of your immigration status. If you qualify to enroll in a health insurance plan, however, you may be required to provide immigration documentation as part of the enrollment procedure.
Use our care finder above to find a health center location that meets your needs. To schedule your appointment, call the location or walk in to speak with one of our registrars. If you would like, you can use our online appointment scheduling form to request an appointment.
Yes! You will receive phone calls from us to remind you of your appointment and get other wellness reminders.
In order to see one of our behavioral health providers, you will need to be enrolled as a patient at one of our locations.
If you need to cancel or reschedule, please call the location where you have made your appointment. We ask that you call at least 24 hours in advance so that we can best help you reschedule.
Please do not cancel via the website contact form, Facebook/Twitter/other social media, or the Patient Portal. If you try to cancel this way, your provider will not receive the message in time and we will not be able to help you reschedule.
Patient Care
Yes, we have some walk-in appointments available every day for walk-in care. Please note that patients are seen on a first-come, first-served basis and that more urgent and scheduled appointments are seen first.
Not sure if your medical condition can wait? You need to dial 911 or go to the nearest emergency room for life-threatening medical conditions such as: difficulty breathing; severe bleeding; loss of vision; major or complex fractures; ingestion of poison; stroke, head trauma; newborn with a fever; or a heart attack. View our Walk-In Care page for a complete list of life-threatening medical conditions requiring immediate attention.
Yes, the Center maintains a 24-hour answering service during the hours that the Center is closed. The answering service will connect you with a health care provider.
The contact numbers are:
Not sure if your medical condition can wait? You need to dial 911 or go to the nearest emergency room for life-threatening medical conditions such as difficulty breathing; severe bleeding; loss of vision, major or complex fractures; ingestion of poison; stroke, head trauma; newborn with a fever; or a heart attack.
View our Walk-In Care page for a complete list of life-threatening medical conditions requiring immediate attention.
Should you need to be hospitalized after consultation with your primary care physician, the Center has admitting privileges to Sound Shore Montefiore, Mount Vernon Montefiore, St. Joseph’s Medical Center, and White Plains Hospital. Your primary care physician will be involved with your care while you are in the hospital.
If your illness requires hospitalization in a different hospital, your primary care physician will help arrange for your admission and will keep in touch with that hospital regarding your care.
If you qualify, the Perinatal and Infant Community Health Collaborative (PICHC) Program can help you secure diapers, car seats, and cribs for your baby. Please check our PICHC Program page for details.
For help with obtaining baby formula and infant, children, and family food, please go our WIC Program page to see if you are eligible to receive free nutritious food and services.
WIC participants are encouraged to contact their insurance companies first to secure a breast pump. Most insurance plans provide new mothers with an electric breast pump.
If you are unsuccessful, please let your WIC Program staff know. The WIC Program has trained staff who can conduct an assessment to determine whether WIC can provide you with a breast pump.
You have the right to voice your concerns without compromising your access to care.
First speak with a Patient Advocate at your location. They will direct you to the procedures we have in place for filing a formal complaint with Westchester Community Health Center (WCHC).
If you are unhappy with the result given by WCHC, you can file an online report with the Joint Commission or submit a grievance to the New York State Department of Health, Office of Health Systems Management. Details about how to submit complaints to the Joint Commission and the New York State Department of Health are given on the Patient Grievance Policy and Procedures page.
Patient Services
Some of our locations have on-site translators for the more commonly spoken languages of their patients. You can view the available on-site language translators and staff on each site’s location description.
We also provide a phone translation app that is available for a number of languages if needed. It is free of charge and can interpret the following spoken languages:
American sign language
Arabic
Bengali
Burmese
Cantonese
Farsi
French
Haitian Creole
Hindi
Hmong
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Mandarin
Nepali
Polish
Portuguese
Punjabi
Romanian
Russian
Somali
Spanish
Tagalog
Vietnamese
Please be sure to let a Patient Advocate know about your or a family member’s language interpretation need.
Yes, we do offer immigration physicals at selected locations. The fee for the physical is $400. Please view our immigration physical page to get more details about this service.
We do not offer any specific services on-site for substance abuse recovery but we do offer referrals for alcohol and other substance abuse counseling as part of our behavioral health case management services. Please view our Behavioral Health page for information about our behavioral health case management services.
Yes, we do. Patients and non-patients can enroll in our 2-hour, six-week series which runs throughout the year. Please visit our Lamaze Classes page for complete information.
Please note, at present, in-person Lamaze Classes have been temporarily suspended due to COVID-19 precautions.
Yes. All patients need to get a referral from their primary care physician to see one of our dieticians for nutritional counseling services.
If you have an outside primary care physician, you will still need to bring a referral to your first appointment so that we have it on file. All individuals using our nutritional counseling services must first be registered with WCHC.
Yes. We have specially trained Certification Application Counselors at select locations who can guide you through finding and enrolling in a comprehensive health care plan that meets your needs and budget. Our Insurance Enrollment Help provides information about our health care insurance enrollment service.
To determine your eligibility, our Certified Application counselors will need to verify your income and residency status. Our Insurance Enrollment Help page details the verification documents you should bring to your appointment.
When patients with hearing and or visual impairments book their appointment with our providers, a Patient Advocate will be notified to request an interpreter to assist the patient during their visit.
If a sign language interpreter is needed for an appointment, we will work with the Westchester Office for People with Disabilities to request a Sign Language Interpreter. We also maintain a twenty-four (24) hour telecommunication device for the deaf (TTY/TDD) via New York State’s relay service. In addition, our locations comply with signage requirements of The Americans with Disabilities Act (ACT). Signs in Braille are displayed throughout the health centers in stairways, elevators, bathrooms, and exits, and wi-fi is accessible in the waiting areas.
Existing and past patients of Westchester Community Health Center have full access to their medical records. Copies of medical records can be requested in person, by email, by fax, or via mail. Our medical records page provides step-by-step instructions for obtaining your medical records.