KANSAS CITY, KS (KCTV) -

Soon there will be more low-cost health care in Kansas City, KS, with a new space, new staff and a new approach.

The Swope Health Center located at located at North 12th Street and Central Avenue has been eight years in the making.

The partnership with the University of Kansas Hospital and KU School of Medicine is a project that will help both the Swope Health Center, the university and possibly even the future of affordable health care.

The health center sits smack in the middle of a neighborhood long on mom-and-pop shops but short on insurance. That means the only doctor many people see is in the emergency room.

"A lot of them have problems that have been undiagnosed or not dealt with for a long time," said Dr. Edward Ellerbeck, faculty of the KU Med Center Department of Preventative Medicine.

The Swope Health Center offers an alternative with a focus on prevention.

"We would much rather them come here then go to the emergency room ... high cost and no real follow-up, no real continuity of care. They can get that here," said Dr. Steven Stites, KU Med Center acting vice chancellor.

The cause for celebration in the freshly finished lobby is about more than mere numbers. The expansion will mean access to care for twice as many people, but it is not just staff and space they have added.

They have also incorporated a behavioral health component that recognizes the connection between body and mind.

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Low-cost health care program expands in Kansas City, KS