Officials gather for the ribbon cutting Friday of the new United Health Centers clinic at the corner of Jensen and Cedar avenues in south Fresno. Photo by Ben Hensley

After several new conferences, a delay and a strongly presented case to a local utility provider, United Health Centers (UHC) opened its 34th local clinic Friday, providing much needed access to care for residents in south Fresno.

Located near the corner of Cedar and Jensen avenues in the Calwa neighborhood the newly built 12,500 square-foot facility will bring access to high-quality medical, dental, behavioral and chiropractic care to more than 114,000 residents in the 93702, 93706 and 93725 zip codes.

The ribbon cutting comes after a months-long delay stemming from PG&E’s failure to power the building by an originally agreed-upon date. The provider opened three centers in 2024 and broke ground on several more, one of which, located near Edison High School, will open later this year.

“For 54 years, United Health Centers has been committed to providing quality, compassionate health care to people of the Central Valley,” said Justin Preas, president and CEO of United Health Centers. “Our mission ensures that everyone, regardless of their background or their ability to pay, has access to the care they deserve.”

Hosted by ABC30 news anchor Vanessa Vasconcelos, the grand opening event saw a large crowd, including students from nearby Calwa Elementary School and performances by the Sanger West High School band.

Local guests in attendance included 21st Congressional District Rep. Jim Costa, newly-elected District 3 Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez, City Council Vice President Miguel Arias and other elected officials.

The center sits in a part of Fresno that was the most heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, said Arias. He added that many of the more than 3,000 deaths in Fresno County that came from within the city limits originated in the region served by the new center.

“Those folks could not work via Zoom,” Arias said. “They could not do their jobs virtually; as a matter of fact, their factories were doubled and tripled.”

Fresno City Manager Georgeanne White highlighted the city’s commitment to providing health care to underserved regions, adding this project was the first time the City of Fresno committed financial resources to a health provider — $4 million for construction.

United Health Centers Calwa clinic is now open and seeing patients from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The office is open Tuesday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Appointments can be made by calling 1-800-492-4227 or by sending a text to (559) 424-5863. Patients can also schedule appointments by visiting UHC’s website.