Community health clinic announces expansion plans

April 24--NORMAL -- McLean County's medical home for 2,700 low-income residents who are uninsured or under-insured wants to expand and plans to do so by raising community dollars while keeping its model of accepting no state or federal tax money.

Community Health Care Clinic, 902 N. Franklin Ave., Normal, plans to move into the larger, empty building in front of the clinic at 900 N. Franklin Ave. That building formerly housed a child care center and, before that, doctors' offices.

Both buildings are owned by Advocate BroMenn Medical Center.

The existing clinic is 2,400 square feet, said clinic Executive Director Angie McLaughlin. After the building in front is renovated and furnished, at a cost of $1.3 million, it will have 9,000 square feet of usable space, McLaughlin said.

"Our existing clinic space is outmoded," clinic board Chairman John Kim told 260 people at the clinic's Commitment to Health Luncheon on Friday at the Marriott Hotel & Conference Center.

"What we have seen in recent history is that the demand for preventative care from the medically under-insured and uninsured is continuing to grow," Kim told The Pantagraph.

"The Affordable Care Act means access to health insurance but...doesn't necessarily mean access to health care," Kim said. While some clinic patients left when they become insured, 228 other people became new clinic patients last year, Kim said.

"We are limited in what we can do with our staff, programming and patient services," he said.

The clinic -- which has three patient exam rooms -- plans to have seven exam rooms in its new location, McLaughlin said.

"With more clinical space, we hope to increase on-site specialty care," McLaughlin said.

The additional space will allow the clinic's nurse-practitioner to continue to see patients while doctors who volunteer their time at the clinic can see patients in other rooms. Specialists who see patients at the clinic include podiatrists and orthopedists but McLaughlin hopes pulmonologists and cardiologists also will begin seeing patients at the new location.

The new building also will allow space for four dental suites in response to community need for improved dental services for poor adults. Dr. John Foehr, who retired recently, and his wife, Regina, donated dental instruments and supplies.

Twenty-eight dentists have signed on to help, McLaughlin said.

The additional space also would have rooms for patient education, healthy eating and fitness classes to bolster clinic efforts to empower patients to improve their health -- especially patients managing chronic diseases, McLaughlin said. Classes would be offered in cooperation with partners including Advocate BroMenn, OSF St. Joseph Medical Center and McLean County Health Department.

About $850,000 has been raised so far, which includes $500,000 from the Reardon Family Foundation.

The late Dr. Robert Reardon was instrumental in helping to open the clinic 21 years ago and his son, Bob Reardon Jr., was the clinic's first board chairman, said Dr. Paul Pedersen, the clinic's medical director and St. Joseph vice president and chief medical officer.

"The expansion is sorely needed because of the success of the organization," Reardon said. "It's beyond anything we envisioned 21 years ago."

Clinic board members and State Farm also have pledged money.

"State Farm is pleased to support the CHCC, which meets vital needs of community residents," said State Farm Enterprise Philanthropy Director Ed Woods. "Helping build stronger communities is a mission critical to State Farm."

The clinic board hopes to raise the remaining $450,000 from community residents.

McLaughlin hopes to begin demolition and remodeling this fall and hopes the renovated building will be ready next year.

The clinic accepts no state or federal tax money. "No taxpayer dollars go into this organization," Kim said.

Instead, the clinic -- whose operating budget is $600,000 -- relies on support from Advocate BroMenn and OSF St. Joseph, community volunteers including doctors and nurses, United Way of McLean County, patient contributions, private foundations and corporate grants.

Follow Paul Swiech on Twitter: @pg_swiech

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