EAST PALESTINE — As concerns over short and long term health continue to rise in East Palestine and the surrounding communities following February’s Norfolk Southern train derailment, residents now have a permanent place to go in the village to seek medical care.

The East Palestine Health Clinic, in partnership with East Liverpool City hospital and the Ohio Health Department (ODH), officially opened its doors on Monday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that included Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine and ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff.

“Basically, we saw a need and we filled a need,” East Liverpool City Hospital CEO Krista McFadden said. “There was a need in this community.”

It was a demand as much as a need. While the clinic will operate as a primary care clinic, it will also provide the public with much-requested screening and specialized care in the wake of the rail disaster.

“We will provide the entire scope of primary care. We will treat newborns up to the oldest members of our community. We will be focused on health maintenance, preventative care as well as treatment of chronic illnesses,” said Dr. Gretchen Nickell, Chief Medical Officer of East Liverpool Hospital. ” We will also be able to provide screening tests as it relates to the trail derailment. These tests will be based on recommendations from the Ohio Department of Health along with collaboration of their specialists.”

Nickell explained the clinic will follow the guidelines of the Ohio Department of Health on baseline testing and examination. Based on the findings of those screenings and exams, the clinic will come up with a response on an individual basis. Nickell said the clinic may include on-staff specialists and referrals to other specialists. Mental health care will also be available at the clinic.

“We may need to bring certain specialists into the clinic,” she said. “That may include ear, nose and throat and dermatology and when a person would need a referral to another specialist would help facilitate that.”

The preliminary results of the Assessment of Chemical Exposure (ACE) surveys conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency found that 76 percent of East Palestine residents participating in the health assessment surveys experienced headaches while 54 percent experienced coughing, 52 percent experienced fatigue and 50 percent experienced a rash or irritation of the skin. In addition, 62 percent reported anxiety after possible chemical exposure after the derailment caused a chemical spill of highly volatile butyl acrylate and vinyl chloride and led to a controlled chemical release and burn at the site to prevent what officials called “a possible major explosion ” as the remaining cars of vinyl chloride were deemed unstable.

The Center for Disease Control confirmed that members of its on-the-ground assessment team became ill with the same symptoms.

The permanent clinic evolved from and replaces the temporary health assessment clinic that was opened inside the First Church of Christ On Feb. 24.

“The Ohio Department of Health and the Columbiana County Health Department Worked together to set up a temporary clinic in the days following the derailment,” DeWine said. “It became clear after a while that what we needed was a permanent clinic. Through East Liverpool City Hospital and the state health department we now have that here.”

DeWine first announced plans for a permanent clinic in the village during his testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing on the derailment on March 22. Less than three weeks after his announcement, the clinic opened. Vanderhoff called the speed in which the clinic was established “a remarkable achievement”.

“Under normal circumstances it can take many months to set up a primary care practice,” Vanderhoff said. “What we see here is a lot of community collaboration and collaboration with the state. We have been able to stand up a new primary care in this community very quickly that will not only be able to meet the needs of an ongoing basis from a very early stage to a very late stage in life but we will also be able to continue early medical presence for support related to people’s concerns about the train derailment and the events that occurred in February.”

The clinic will also provide the first responders who battled the initial blaze and assisted with early containment efforts a place to have their health monitored.

“Over 300 first responders responded to the derailment and really all of them need to have a baseline established,” DeWine said. “This clinic will present the opportunity for those who haven’t already done so to do that. I think this is a logical step for us to take.”

Like the resident ACE surveys, first responders who participated in the assessment reported stuffy nose/sinus congestion (28 percent), runny nose (26 percent), increased congestion (22 percent), burning nose or throat (21 percent) and hoarseness (15 percent).

The initial health assessment clinic was pivotal in gathering that information and addressing the immediate health effects of the derailment. The permanent clinic will be pivotal in addressing the long-term effects.

“The temporary clinic was to do the ACE survey and have an initial evaluation and examination by a physician and then be able to triage to what was necessary,” Nickell said. “Instead of evaluation and triage, we are moving to evaluation, treatment and ongoing care.”

The new clinic, which is located at 139 North Walnut St., received its first patient at 2 p.m. on Monday. The clinic will accept both appointments and walk-ins. It remains free for those without insurance coverage and welcomes residents from East Palestine and any other community from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Appointments can be made by calling (330) 383-6020.