BUFFALO, N.Y. — "It's something good that we really need in our lives today especially in the urban neighborhoods," said Alvia Singleton.

East side resident Alvia Singleton is talking about access to health care services. That's why he came here to the Urban Family Practice's Open House.   

I came out her today to see what was going on which is something good because I didn't have a primary doctor or anything like that," said Singleton.

And Singleton is not alone. Many residents in this neighborhood off of Jefferson Avenue have no access to basic health care.

"For years I taught the residency program that was here at UB. I retired to become the Chief Medical Officer for Urban Family Practice and a year later they decide to close the residency program which left basically a primary care desert in this area," said Chet Fox, MD. Urban Family Practice, Chief Medical Officer.

But now thanks to Dr. Raul Vasquez and G-Health Enterprises, that's all changed.

"There were seven thousand people who used to go to this very building, but Dr. Vasquez  jumped right in the same day they heard they were closed and he bought the practice," said Fox.

That was last June. Now, thanks to Dr. Vasquez the clinic is not only open, but also expanding.

"I think for me the area's very important to me. It's near and dear to my heart in terms of how we've done stuff.  So, we've actually, we've had a provider there and it's been growing, but we're gonna put a second provider there, so Dr. Perry's coming here. And it's just to let people know, and not only that but the awareness of health care, the awareness of other services that are in the area, the awareness of insurances and what insurances do for people, so I think it's kinda giving people a different model," said Raul Vasquez, MD. Urban Family Practice, CEO.

That's good news for many residents.

"It brings convenience and it brings an accessibility to various services. I use Quest all the time for my bloodwork, and I used to have to go over to Summer, and now I can literally walk down here," said Claudia Bigham.

The open house was sponsored by United Healthcare Community Plan.