Visalia Medical Clinic has opened The Wellness Center, a program designed for Medicare patients to help ensure they receive their free preventative care visits.

The center is staffed by physician assistant Jamie Ruddy and nurse practitioner Juanita Castellano. Together, they offer the annual no-cost wellness visits that include creation of a personalized prevention plan with the goal of keeping patients healthier and more independent.

“Each patient receives a personalized health risk assessment which will identify risk factors for future health problems,” Castellano said. “We will then develop a screening schedule to monitor the patent’s health going forward and offer education on health conditions and medications.”

Ruddy said that Visalia Medical Clinic launched The Wellness Center to ensure “that our medicare patients can take full advantage of the preventative health services that medicare provides at no cost.”

Visalia Medical Clinic is located at 5400 W. Hillsdale Ave. To make an appointment, call 739-2000 or visit vmchealth.com.