The District is spending $15 million from its tobacco settlement fund to open a community health center in Anacostia expected to serve several thousand patients each year.
Community of Hope broke ground Thursday for the new health and resource center, located at 4 Atlantic St. SW in the Bellevue neighborhood. The 50,000-square-foot facility is planned to have 20 medical exam rooms, 11 dental chairs, six rooms for behavioral heath services and a conference room when completed. Pedro Ribeiro, a spokesman for Mayor Vincent Gray, said a September 2013 opening was planned.
“Community of Hope is excited to expand access to quality, compassionate, affordable care in the Bellevue neighborhood in Ward 8,” said the nonprofit’s executive director, Kelly Sweeney McShane.
The Ward 8 center is one of three health center projects commissioned through the D.C. Primary Care Association’s Medical Homes DC program. The city’s Department of Health provided Community of Hope a grant for $15.4 million. The rest of the estimated $25 million cost of the project will be covered through federal and private sources.
“We are deeply grateful for the partnership and the financial support of the D.C. Primary Care Association, the Department of Heath, the Health Resources and Services Administration and our local philanthropic community,” McShane said.
After completion, Community of Hope expects the center to be able to provide roughly 22,000 medical visits, 15,000 dental visits and 3,500 behavioral health visits a year. The building is also on track to achieve LEED Silver Certification.
Community of Hope aims to help low-income and homeless residents of the District by providing health care services, housing, education and spiritual support. It will move its administrative offices and social services staff to the new health and resource center.
