Valley View Health Center, headquartered in Chehalis, recently received a $388,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to remodel its Raymond location.
According to Heidi Zipperer, operations director of Valley View, the Raymond clinic is utilized by some Pe Ell residents.
The money will be used to improve the workflow and security for the building, while also increasing the amount of patients served.
Valley View Health Center purchased the practice in 2010. It was originally designed to serve multiple stand-alone clinics, and was not constructed for a larger, more collaborative clinic, Zipperer said.
“This will allow us to renovate the facility and increase patient capacity,” she said.
The remodel will consist of relocating the waiting room to a more centralized location and the addition of a patient health educational space, as well as increased security.
The project will be completed in stages so that no breaks in services will occur. The remodel will improve workflow, which will add approximately 10 hours a week for patient care, Zipperer said.
The money is being paired with another U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant Valley View received almost two years ago for $244,600. That money is being used to create a more integrated health care model, which includes medical, dental and behavioral health.
Zipperer said the recently obtained grant of $388,000 is a two-year grant, providing plenty of time to complete the remodel within the time frame. She said she expects it to be completed well before the two-year mark.
The Raymond clinic site serves roughly 4,000 patents a year. In all, Valley View Health Center has 11 locations, including ones in Winlock, Toledo, Onalaska, Chehalis and Centralia, among others.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded over $260 million to health centers nationwide on May 4 to build and renovate facilities to serve more patients.
The money went to fund 290 health centers in 45 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico for facility renovation, expansion or construction.
It will help the health centers provide care to over 800,000 new patients nationwide.
