April 29, 2020
Imagine a place where you can go to work, do some shopping and visit the doctor – all within a few steps from each other. That’s the vision behind a new development bringing Parkland’s quality, compassionate care close to home for residents in the Red Bird neighborhood. A collection of advocates spanning different corners of Dallas County are working together to make the development a reality, while making a difference in the lives of those who call Red Bird home.
Dr. Brenda Richardson-Rowe has lived in the Red Bird neighborhood her whole life. Terrence Maiden grew up in Oak Cliff and remembers going to the Red Bird Mall. Peter Brodsky moved to Dallas 25 years ago. While they all grew up at different times and in different places they are aligned around the same goal – to bring prosperity back to the Red Bird community.
“It’s not just retail and restaurants that are needed,” explained Brodsky, co-developer of Reimagine RedBird. “It’s offices, hotels and medical services. There is a deficit of all of these types of amenities serving this community. Reimagine RedBird will be a center for everything the community needs to create an ecosystem where people will gather to go to the doctor, to go to work, go to a restaurant, to go shopping. There’s a reason for everyone to be here which in turn creates a very vibrant environment.”
In the planning stages Brodsky and Maiden, co-developer, asked themselves what would draw people to the new development. Medical services quickly rose to the top of the list.
“Because we are in a community that has such a dearth of amenities such as medical and offices there was a huge amount of demand for those services,” Brodsky added. “We approached the major hospitals in Dallas about opening up clinics in this area. Parkland was the first that really got it.”
“When we say medical, it’s both physical health and behavioral health services that are needed in this area,” said Richardson- Rowe, a registered nurse and minister of counseling at Concord Church. “Having Parkland come in and provide that spectrum of care will bring synergy and start to drive people to a central area for the things that they need.”
Many residents who live in southern Dallas County do not have access to the care they need to get healthy and stay healthy. In fact, Parkland sees a high number of patients from these ZIP codes who come to the ER for basic primary care, need specialized care to manage diseases like diabetes, and who are diagnosed with cancer at later stages because they lack screening and early interventions.
That’s why Parkland is building the RedBird Health Center as part of its plan to increase access to healthcare services close to home.
“We are trying to fill gaps with the tenants we bring into this new development,” said Brodsky. “Parkland is a perfect example. There is currently a lack of medical services. Having Parkland in the community will uplift the community, improve people’s health, and improve people’s lives.
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