The Eye Institute’s Norristown Satellite Now Open

In an effort to continually serve a wide-variety of patients throughout the greater Philadelphia area, The Eye Institute (TEI) of Salus University has collaborated with Delaware Valley Community Health, Inc. (DVCH) to open its fourth location in Norristown, PA.

TEI’s newest clinical facility is located at DVCH’s Norristown Regional Health Center, 1401 DeKalb Street in Norristown, PA. TEI’s Norristown satellite will serve as the fourth location for the University’s Doctor of Optometry students. Services include adult and pediatric primary eye care and contact lens evaluations. Dr. Michelle Rivera, who brings more than a decade of optometric experience to TEI, will be the main provider.

Norristown Regional Health Center acts as a one-stop shop for its patients’ medical needs. It offers a wide-variety of services, such as adult and pediatric primary care, dentistry, an on-site medication dispensary and much more.

According to Taren Gaddy, chief of staff for DVCH, its Norristown location serves a large Hispanic population in need of many necessary healthcare services.

“The majority of DVCH's patients in Norristown are uninsured and have great health disparities when compared to the general population,” she said. “Thus, there is significant need for primary medical and other specialty services than other communities in the county.”

Adding vision care to its menu of specialty services will be a benefit for patients at the clinic as many racial and ethnic minorities are at an increased risk for preventable eye diseases, Gaddy said.  “The clinic will allow the patients to have a true integrated care system and that’s very exciting because we will be able to see a complete view of the patient’s health when examining their ocular health,” Dr. Rivera said.

Fluent in Spanish, Dr. Rivera, hopes to positively impact the Norristown community at large in addition to helping future optometrists cultivate their skills.

“I’m very passionate about assisting Spanish speakers and excited to have the opportunity to be an instructor,” she said. “I’ve always enjoyed explaining the exam process and other concepts to patients so they fully understand what’s going on.”

Call 610-278-7787 to schedule an appointment at the Norristown clinic.