Community health center breaks ground on expanded clinic in Joliet

Clinic exam room Photo credit Getty Images

By Rachel Pierson

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — VNA Health Care, the largest community health center in the Chicago suburbs, broke ground on its new health center in Joliet Tuesday morning.

The 14,000 square-foot facility at 1501 West Jefferson Street will replace the VNA’s current Joliet location, which is in a leased space and offers limited services.

The new clinic will include 26 medical exam rooms, a wellness kitchen, laboratory and drive-thru pharmacy.

“We’ll provide family practice, internal medicine as well as obstetrics and pediatrics,” said Linnea Windel, president and CEO of VNA Health Care. “At this site we're also going to have psychiatry and counseling.”

Windel tells WBBM Newsradio the extra capacity will allow VNA to expand its services for Joliet and surrounding communities, particularly for those who are low-income.

“We've expanded over time into communities where there are high numbers of people that have Medicaid as their insurance, or they have no insurance,” Windel said. “And so our mission, really, is to get access for people who would otherwise have difficulty getting healthcare.”

Joliet and its neighboring communities have a low-income population of roughly 71,000. According to VNA Health Care, only 26,000 are currently served by community health centers.

“We expect to serve about 5,000 more patients and provide about 25,000 more exams over that first 30-month period,” Windel added.

Last fall, the Health Resources & Services Administration Bureau of Public Health (HRSA) awarded VNA $1.3 million in federal funding to support construction of the new location.

Construction is expected to take about a year, with the new clinic opening next summer.