Via GRAPHIC PLUS | Bacolod City — Access to essential healthcare moves closer to communities as SM Foundation turns over two upgraded Barangay Health Stations serving nearly 27,000 residents across multiple urban barangays.

The newly improved facilities, Barangay Mabini Health Station and ETCS Barangay Health Station, are part of SM Foundation’s growing network of community health facilities. 

Both facilities underwent renovations designed to improve service delivery and patient experience. Interior upgrades include new LED lighting, modern appliances, and more comfortable, patient-centered furnishings. Layout improvements were also introduced to support more efficient consultations and better patient flow.

In Mabini as well as the ETCS, fully air-conditioned facilities include a pharmacy equipped with a refrigerator to store vaccines & other medicines, consultation room, pre-natal room, breast feeding room, reception cum admission room, a lounge for seniors & a playroom for children.  Basic equipment included Hamilton beds for pregnant women, weighing scales, stethoscopes & bp monitoring machines. The Health stations were given laptops for teleconsultation, electronic medical record keeping and for Philhealth YAKAP integration.  

Barangay Health Stations have long been central to grassroots healthcare in the Philippines, dating back to their institutionalization in 1971. As communities transitioned into the formal barangay structure in the 1970s, these centers remained essential in ensuring that public health services, from vaccination drives to nutrition monitoring and family planning, reach the grassroots.

To date, the Foundation has renovated 228 health centers nationwide.

By enhancing these community-based facilities, SM Foundation continues to help ensure that quality healthcare remains accessible, affordable, and responsive to the needs of Filipino families.