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10 Community Health Center, Inc. Weitzman Institute e problem had not changed. Patients seeing their primary care provider were advised to consult a specialist and given a name and a phone number. Even if they remembered to call right away, it was oen weeks, or months, or longer, before an appointment could be scheduled. For the uninsured or underserved, every step of the process was strewn with pitfalls. Lack of transportation, fear of missing work, difficulty finding child care, or any number of factors interfered with pursuing the medical consultation that was recommended. Health risks increased, conditions worsened. It quickly became a challenge that the leadership of Community Health Center, Inc. was determined to take on, and solve. So they did. e concept of specialty eConsults was born. It was, from the start, "so obviously a good idea," says Dr. Daren Anderson, direc- tor of the Weitzman Institute (WI) and vice president/chief quality officer for CHC. More than that, it is emblematic of WI's unique appetite for re- search and innovation in primary care. Enmeshed in one of the largest community health centers in the nation, with a top-notch multidisciplinary staff and scores of front-line clinicians to draw on, WI is transforming the delivery of primary care through re- search, technology, and education — and is gaining notice as inno- vations are shared and replicated. As with CHC, WI's roots are local and reach is global. Formed in 2007, WI was named for local community pharmacist Gerard Weitzman, who in 1972 was among the first members of the Mid- dletown community to support the formation of a free clinic for the poor and underserved. He later became chairman of CHC's Board "The Weitzman Institute is unique as a research and innovation center embedded within a large primary care system and with a specific focus on the needs of the medically underserved and other special populations. The Weitzman team focuses its efforts on improving care to patients who are often overlooked in studies and other initiatives." - Dr. Daren Anderson, Director, Weitzman Institute