Belfast's health center, which serves thousands of patients, has just moved to a new, larger location that will, over time, provide even better access to medical, dental and other services in the area. .
Seaport Community Health Center's new location opened last week on the first floor of 29 Schoodic Dr., a newly renovated building that was part of the Bank of America complex on Route 3.
The health center previously operated in a nearby building leased from Athena Health, but the new location has nearly tripled its size from about 12,000 square feet to 32,000 square feet.
Lori Dwyer, president and CEO of Penobscot Community Health Care, the center's parent organization, said the expansion will allow the center to hire more staff and provide primary care, mental health, and social care services. The facility will be able to offer a wide range of services, including work, pharmacy, and other services.
In 2021, PCHC will replace its buildings on the 142,000-acre campus formerly owned by Bank of America (which still occupies the largest building on campus) and its predecessor, MBNA. Contracts were signed to purchase several other buildings for $7 million.
Renovating the Seaport Community Health Center's new building will cost just under $5 million, with $1.2 million coming from a federal grant and the rest from a New Markets Tax Credit financing facility, Dwyer said. said.
One of the most immediate improvements is that four additional health care providers, two doctors and two nurses, are scheduled to begin work in the coming months. This is an overdue staffing change that would not have been possible at the smaller previous location, which could only accommodate about 8,000 people. patient.
“Years ago, we ran out of room for our existing operations,” Dwyer said. “This expands our capacity by allowing us to hire more people to serve more patients. That's why people call and say, 'We need a primary care provider.' I'm stuck because I don't have a place to put it. ”
The new location will include an expanded pharmacy program to better serve patients in primary care, with more space available for staff and services such as substance use recovery and chronic disease management, Dwyer said. said.
Dwyer said construction is expected to begin next year on a new eight-bed clinic on the second floor, which will eventually also fill a critical need for dental expansion in Maine. He said he recently learned that PCHC will receive approximately $1.3 million in funding directed by Congress to build a dental clinic.
PCHC is a federally qualified health center based in Brewer with facilities in eastern, central, and western Maine with a mission to provide care to underserved populations .
We are currently still evaluating what other services we can offer at our new facility in Belfast. The company is also working with developers to repurpose other buildings acquired at the former Bank of America campus for other medical programs, housing and other purposes.
“What's great about this health center and this project is that it's really about the role of a community health center, bringing the community together, allowing everyone to focus on health and wellness, and really supporting community initiatives and local businesses. and supporting the needs of the community,” Dwyer said.
