York residents with little or no health insurance can now receive treatment at the East Side Health Center.

The center at 850 E. Princess St. is the newest location for the Family Practice and Counseling Network, which has four centers in Philadelphia that provide a full range of primary care, dental and behavioral health services.

"We're just excited to be able to offer our patients the services that they need, and we're just anxious to start serving our patients," said Sharon Chatman, director of the East Side Health Center.

Chatman said the center will have seven other staff members -- two nurse practitioners, three medical assistants, an outreach social worker and a behavioral health specialist.

They do not provide urgent care but deal more with chronic issues such as diabetes, she said.

The new facility is designed to serve residents who are uninsured or underinsured, isolated, or medically vulnerable, said Kevin Roberts, spokesman for Resources for Human Development (RHD). RHD is a national nonprofit organization with headquarters in Philadelphia that runs the Family Practice and Counseling Network.

Emmanuel Community Development Corporation (ECDC) approached the network in 2010 about developing another nurse-managed health center to serve public housing residents, Roberts said.

A grant from the U.S. Department of Health Resources and Services Administration through the Affordable Care Act helped to make the new site possible.

The community is welcome to attend the grand opening from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, which begins with a ribbon cutting and remarks at 11 a.m. York Mayor Kim Bracey and Joanne Grossi, Region III director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, are scheduled to appear.

Patients may call 717-801-0971 to schedule appointments at East Side Health Center.