Officials Break Ground on Community Health Center

Local officials broke ground, on Monday, to begin construction of a new building for the Loudoun Community Health Center (LCHC). The building will be located at 163 Fort Evans Road, N.E., in Leesburg.

Among those participating in the ceremony were Lynn Rubin and Debra Dever of LCHC; Dr. Mary Wakefield, Administrator of Health Resources and Services Administration for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Senator Mark Herring; Delegate-Elect Randy Minchew; Kelly Burk of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors; and Leesburg Mayor Kristen Umstattd. Additionally, Rubin read a letter of congratulations from U.S. Senator Mark Warner.

LCHC provides medical, dental and mental health services to anyone in need, regardless of age or ability to pay.

Rubin, chairman of the LCHC board, said that planning for the LCHC began about 10 years ago, and that the facility opened its doors 4 ½ years ago in space donated by Inova. Currently, LCHC is housed in a small space within the old Loudoun Hospital.

Since opening in 2007, LCHC has cared for more than 10,000 patients, most of whom are low-income or uninsured residents of Loudoun County. According to LCHC officials, the current space is inadequate to meet the increasing demand of Loudoun County residents seeking affordable medical care. As a result, LCHC has a waiting list of more than 1,000 people.

“This is a very exciting day for all of us,” Rubin said.

The new building was made possible by an $8.7 million grant that LCHC received through the federal Health Care Reform Act.

Wakefield said that Loudoun was one of 144 community health centers in the nation that were awarded capital construction grants through the Health Care Reform Act, which she described as “a very, very competitive process.”

“It speaks volumes about the quality of people who work here and the quality of health care they provide,” she said, noting that the facility will expand the capacity of LCHC to receive up to 5,000 new patients, and that the project will also employ construction workers.

“It’s an investment in the community, and it’s an investment in the people who live and work here,” Wakefield said.

The new 28,000 sq. ft. building will have 18 exam rooms, seven dental offices, a mental health wing, optometry services and community meeting room space for health-related education.

Stephanie Kenyon, chief operating officer of LCHC, said that construction of the new building is scheduled to be completed by November 2012.