By Candi Enman
Staff Columnist
SOMERSWORTH –
A cloudless blue sky was the order of the day and Mother Nature didn’t disappoint for the Thursday, May 20th official groundbreaking of the new Avis Goodwin Community Health Center. Donned in bright yellow plastic “hard hats,” with champagne toasts in hand, more than 100 staff, volunteers, patients and community officials gathered to celebrate the event.
“The weather is cooperating,” said Lara Willard, communications manager for AGCHC. “This is a great day for the people who’ve worked for years to see this dream come to reality.”
The new healthcare facility, slated for completion in 2011, will consolidate three existing medical care locations in Rochester and Dover, and Dover administrative offices into one 32,200 square foot facility along the Medical Mile on Route 108 in Somersworth. The new building will ultimately employ 130 medical and support staff. The consolidation will reduce overhead costs for the agency by an estimated $200,000 annually.
Avis Goodwin Community Health Center’s mission is to provide integrated, comprehensive, quality healthcare, serving all in our community, payment for which is based on ability to pay. The center provides care for adults, teens and children; including obstetrical, gynecological and prenatal care, as well as family planning, dental, nutrition and mental health services. Chronic disease management, sexually transmitted disease/HIV screenings, and immunization clinics for children and adults are also offered.
In the current economy demand is growing dramatically, said AGCHC Executive Director Janet Atkins. The expanded facility will enable the center to provide medical, dental and mental health care to an additional 3,500 patients each year, making services accessible to more than 10,000 community members annually.
Atkins thanked the center’s staff for their commitment, the board of directors for their vision and persistence, and the project team.
Prior to picking up a shovel, Somersworth Mayor Lincoln Soldati congratulated Atkins and the AGCHC board. Commenting on the growth of the Route 108 corridor, he said, “I know this will prove to be a great benefit to the agency, as well as the City of Somersworth.”
As chair of the health center’s board of directors, Janice Silver is committed to the agency’s future because, as she stated, “Avis Goodwin Community Health Center saved my life.” Twice as a patient - first as a teen mother in crisis in the 1970’s and later a survivor of Stage II breast cancer - Silver is grateful for the compassionate care she personally received from AGCHC providers.
The $6.4 million project has received local, state and national support and funding. The groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of construction was a major milestone for the center that had modest beginnings in 1969 as the country’s first prenatal clinic for uninsured and underinsured mothers-to-be. “We wanted healthy babies born,” commented Avis Goodwin, the center’s 91-year old founder. “A dream we didn’t have came true.”
To learn more about Avis Goodwin Community Health Center, its services and providers, visit www.avisgoodwinchc.org.
Photo caption: Mayor Soldati Welcomes Mrs. Avis Goodwin to Somersworth. Also pictured, Valerie Goodwin – Daughter of Avis and Board Member, Janet Atkins – Executive Director, Marc Bollinger – Board Treasurer, Kerri Turgeon Board Vice-Chair, Janice Silver – Board Chair. (Ann Morrisette photo)
Staff Columnist
SOMERSWORTH –
A cloudless blue sky was the order of the day and Mother Nature didn’t disappoint for the Thursday, May 20th official groundbreaking of the new Avis Goodwin Community Health Center. Donned in bright yellow plastic “hard hats,” with champagne toasts in hand, more than 100 staff, volunteers, patients and community officials gathered to celebrate the event.
“The weather is cooperating,” said Lara Willard, communications manager for AGCHC. “This is a great day for the people who’ve worked for years to see this dream come to reality.”
The new healthcare facility, slated for completion in 2011, will consolidate three existing medical care locations in Rochester and Dover, and Dover administrative offices into one 32,200 square foot facility along the Medical Mile on Route 108 in Somersworth. The new building will ultimately employ 130 medical and support staff. The consolidation will reduce overhead costs for the agency by an estimated $200,000 annually.
Avis Goodwin Community Health Center’s mission is to provide integrated, comprehensive, quality healthcare, serving all in our community, payment for which is based on ability to pay. The center provides care for adults, teens and children; including obstetrical, gynecological and prenatal care, as well as family planning, dental, nutrition and mental health services. Chronic disease management, sexually transmitted disease/HIV screenings, and immunization clinics for children and adults are also offered.
In the current economy demand is growing dramatically, said AGCHC Executive Director Janet Atkins. The expanded facility will enable the center to provide medical, dental and mental health care to an additional 3,500 patients each year, making services accessible to more than 10,000 community members annually.
Atkins thanked the center’s staff for their commitment, the board of directors for their vision and persistence, and the project team.
Prior to picking up a shovel, Somersworth Mayor Lincoln Soldati congratulated Atkins and the AGCHC board. Commenting on the growth of the Route 108 corridor, he said, “I know this will prove to be a great benefit to the agency, as well as the City of Somersworth.”
As chair of the health center’s board of directors, Janice Silver is committed to the agency’s future because, as she stated, “Avis Goodwin Community Health Center saved my life.” Twice as a patient - first as a teen mother in crisis in the 1970’s and later a survivor of Stage II breast cancer - Silver is grateful for the compassionate care she personally received from AGCHC providers.
The $6.4 million project has received local, state and national support and funding. The groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of construction was a major milestone for the center that had modest beginnings in 1969 as the country’s first prenatal clinic for uninsured and underinsured mothers-to-be. “We wanted healthy babies born,” commented Avis Goodwin, the center’s 91-year old founder. “A dream we didn’t have came true.”
To learn more about Avis Goodwin Community Health Center, its services and providers, visit www.avisgoodwinchc.org.
Photo caption: Mayor Soldati Welcomes Mrs. Avis Goodwin to Somersworth. Also pictured, Valerie Goodwin – Daughter of Avis and Board Member, Janet Atkins – Executive Director, Marc Bollinger – Board Treasurer, Kerri Turgeon Board Vice-Chair, Janice Silver – Board Chair. (Ann Morrisette photo)
