EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Doctors at the new East Palestine health clinic are now welcoming people in need of care following February's train derailment and release of toxic chemicals.

Gov. Mike DeWine announced state funding will be available to make sure the clinic is ready for those who need it, regardless of whether or not they have health insurance. Dr. Gretchen Nickell, meanwhile, helped make sure the center is up and running.

"So this is an opportunity for us to extend the initial treatment to an ongoing full-time clinic to provide care for all primary care needs," she said.

Some people who live here are still worried about their long-term health and want tested for exposure to chemicals like benzine and vinyl chloride.

"There are some tests that can be done for vinyl chloride. It is not an easy test to get and it's an expensive test but we can order it if they want that, and if they choose to obtain that test," Nickell said.

The goal of the clinic is to ensure all residents of any age have access to both physical and mental health care. Nickell said the community needed this.

"We genuinely felt that the community needed this. We saw many patients that did not have a primary care doctor. We saw patients that had chronic illness that did not necessarily have access to care so we wanted to bring that care to the community," she said. 

DeWine added there was a need for something more reliable. 

"It became clear, after a little while, what we needed was a permanent clinic," he said.

While this is just the beginning, the clinic is also working with the Ohio Department of Health to expand on this clinic and to make sure mental health isn't left out of the picture.