After a long search, Centre Volunteers in Medicine has found a new, and larger, home. And it needs it.
As more and more residents of the community seek the no-cost dental and medical care provided by CVIM at its current Green Tech Drive location, common spaces are becoming overcrowded and limited caregiving space has gone over its brink.
“We are all on top of each other,” said Executive Director Cheryl White. “We are so crowded in the 6,700 square feet.”
Additionally, the space limitations have prevented CVIM from teaching health classes, conducting group training and growing its wellness program. It is also a disadvantage when it comes to recruiting more volunteers to help people, said White.
This all comes as demand for services is higher than ever, with more than 11,000 county residents without medical insurance and 30,000 without dental care, according to CVIM.
To help alleviate the issues, CVIM purchased a building at 2026 Sandy Drive in Ferguson Township, which White said is the “perfect new spot.”
The price tag for the property was $2.35 million; it was purchased from LAMAH Ventures earlier this month. White said LAMAH intended to lease the building, but graciously agreed to sell it in support of CVIM’s mission to provide no-cost medical and dental care to residents of the community who need it most.
CVIM was awarded $1.5 million from a state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant to go toward the project and has acquired a loan for the additional funds. White said she hopes to move into the facility debt-free, with community support.
The total cost for the project, including the purchase and renovation of the building, is expected to be more than $8 million.
In order for the nonprofit to move forward with its goal of moving in debt-free, a fundraising campaign will kick off in the coming months, with hopes to have the building up and running in the fall of 2022.
Once renovations and an expansion are completed, the Sandy Drive location is expected to consist of 11,000 square feet of exam and office space in an energy-efficient and technologically up-to-date building. It will also allow the program to expand its behavioral and women’s health programs.
In the meantime, the building is already being put to good use as a space for free walk-in COVID-19 vaccinations, just as booster shots and children’s vaccinations get underway.
“The new facility provides us an expanded space so we can continue to remain flexible to meet the healthcare needs of the community,” said White. “That is something that free clinics are good at … adapting to what the community needs. For instance, the vaccines are a perfect example of that. We got the vaccine so our patients would have access to it. When it became apparent that we needed to help vaccinate the community, we found a way to do that. So, the programs that we are moving into the new building — dental, medical, case management and behavioral health — that added space allows us to remain flexible for the future.”
CVIM was established in 2003, serving as an advocate for the medically underserved who live and work in Centre County. One of the first patients that the program served was in need of dental care, and with the help of a local dentist, a mobile dental unit was added. A women’s health program was later included and, as behavioral health became more of a need in the county, White said it started to integrate that into primary care for patients. The clinic also provides case management and medication assistance for those without health insurance.
“So, we have grown from originally just one service area to five, and as the community has grown, unfortunately, the need for our services has grown, too,” said White.
The clinic provides services to those without health insurance and whose household income is at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level. In 2020, CVIM provided healthcare to more than 1,100 patients in 5,006 visits. To assist the greater community, CVIM has already provided more than 30,000 COVID-19 vaccinations this year.
This story appears in the Oct. 28-Nov. 3.
