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Public officials and members of Syracuse’s Bhutanese community came together Wednesday to celebrate the opening of Caring Family Health Nurse Practitioners. The center will be vital in providing greater primary health care to North Syracuse.

Jai Subedi, vice president of TruCare Connections Syracuse, said the facility’s opening is a long-time dream of Bikash Regmi and his wife Kumari Regmi, the location’s founders. Originally from Bhutan, the pair experienced the reality of minimal healthcare services while living in refugee camps in Nepal, said Subedi, who also served as their case manager.

“The idea behind Caring Health was born from a deep-rooted belief in the power of compassion,” Bikash Regmi said. “It was this experience that ignited our lifelong dedication to health care.”

At the opening, Mayor Ben Walsh proclaimed Sept. 6 as Nurse Practitioners Day in Syracuse.
Walsh was joined by State Sen. John Mannion, Assemblymember Al Stirpe and Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, who spoke at the clinic’s opening to highlight the shortage of primary healthcare and its vital role in the Syracuse area.

“Too many people in the community rely on our prime care in our emergency rooms for primary care,” McMahon said. “And if you have a real emergency, I know recently, you may have waited a long time if you went to the hospital for that. And one way to address this is to build up our medical infrastructure and that’s what you’re doing.”

Bikash Regmi said there are around 92 healthcare providers for every 100,000 people in Onondaga County. However, the high poverty rate in Syracuse means fewer people have access to affordable healthcare. Over 30% of Syracuse residents live below the federal poverty level, according to the Onondaga County Community Health Assessment and Improvement Plan.

Jawala Regmi, Bikash Regmi’s father, also stressed the impact that the clinic will have on the Nepali community.

“Many of our people from our community, they don’t know how to drive and they have language problems,” Jawala Regmi said. “So (the clinic) will mitigate because they speak the same language and it’s easy for the people to ask for help when they do not have any drivers at home.”

The Caring Family Health Nurse Practitioners health clinic, which is located on Buckley Road in North Syracuse, is accepting new primary care patients. According to its website, the clinic also provides pediatric care, chronic disease management, women’s health, immunization and acute conditions. The clinic stresses that it accepts all types of insurance.

Kumari Regmi said she was touched by how many people came to celebrate her and her husband’s accomplishment.

“Your presence here signifies the strength and unity of our community, and we’re excited to work together to make Caring Family Health a light and hope for health and wellness in our area, in our community,” Kumari Regmi said.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated that the Regmi family was from Nepal. This was incorrect; the Regmi family is from Bhutan and stayed in a refugee camp in Nepal. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Published on September 7, 2023 at 12:09 am