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Work continues on the Umpqua Community Health Center project at the nonprofit campus in north Roseburg Thursday.
The stars really seem to be aligned for us,” Linda Mullins said Thursday while standing on the site of the Umpqua Community Health Center project.
The pounding of hammers could be heard as the nearby two-story building was in the framing stage and the construction crew was hurrying to install trusses and the roof before persistent rain falls.
The stars to which Mullins, the clinic's chief executive officer, was referring included the fundraising campaign, construction bids, federal stimulus money and now the construction. She explained the timing of each of those stages has been a positive for the $2.2 million project that is on schedule to be completed and opened next April.
“I love it,” said Mullins of the 19,560-square-foot building that is rising near the southeast corner of Kenneth Ford Drive and Jerry's Lane at the nonprofits campus in north Roseburg. “It's just amazing as we go through the process,” she said. “When we have the end product, things will just flow and we'll be very efficient.”
The new building will give the clinic almost twice the space it's had at its leased offices in a complex on Umpqua Street in Roseburg. More space will allow the clinic's medical, dental, administration and records departments to be brought under one roof.
Mullins said the clinic will be a professional facility offering primary care.
Mullins explained the new building will help the clinic fulfill its mission to provide health care to people who face obstacles that prevent them from receiving care and treatment. The clinic provides health and dental care based on a sliding scale, depending on patients' ability to pay. People with or without insurance can be seen at the clinic and qualify for the sliding-scale payments.
“When you look at the unemployment rate of Douglas County, people who don't have insurance, and that we don't have enough physicians, combined that indicates we're going to be busy,” said Mullins when asked about future operations.
In 2008, the clinic had 29,758 patient visits. This year, visits to date are about 30,000.
“We average about 200 new patients a month with about a 30 percent growth in uninsured patients,” said Mullins.
The thought process for a new clinic began about eight years ago. Roseburg architect Paul Bentley designed the building. A capital campaign began in April 2007 to help pay for it; $548,000 has been raised in donations for the new clinic and the opening of a clinic in Myrtle Creek.
“We had the good fortune to run the campaign when the economy was doing much better,” said Mullins. “The timing was wonderful for that. Most all of our pledges were honored, and some people gave more than they pledged.”
The health center has also been approved for $500,000 in federal stimulus money and the staff has applied for more.
“It's very competitive for stimulus money,” admitted Matt Morrow, the chief financial officer/deputy director for the clinic.
Morrow added the project has been approved for up to $3 million in a low-interest federal loan. He said the search for more funds is continuing in an effort to decrease the amount that will eventually have to be borrowed.
When the bidding process to construct the clinic began, the economy was slumping and many companies were in need of work. R.E. Noah Co. of Roseburg got the general contractor job. President Russ Noah said there was “tremendous response” from sub-contractors to bid on specific work and that material costs have been down.
“This job two years ago would have come at a much greater cost,” he said.
Noah added that 65 percent of the project budget is going to local sources and workers.
Guion Randol of Guion Randol Contracting of Roseburg is the construction manager. Randol is the liaison between the clinic and the general contractor.
“We were fortunate enough to start in good weather in July and that's helped us quite a bit in staying on schedule,” Noah said. “The building is growing on a daily basis. The construction costs are in line.
“At this point we're just looking to get the roof on and to winterize the site so we can work through the winter weather,” he added. “We're looking fine.”
“Schedule-wise we're doing great and from a cost standpoint we're doing very well,” said Randol. “The few changes that have been made — changing a door or modifying a room — have been easy to do.”
Once the clinic opens next spring and gets up to speed, Mullins and Morrow estimate it'll have 55 to 60 full-time employees. They said recruiting medical professionals is a competitive and difficult process, but having a new building should help.
“We've been working on this for years,” said Mullins. “We're absolutely pleased with the progress.”
• You can reach Features editor Craig Reed at 957-4210 or by e-mail at creed@nrtoday.com.
The pounding of hammers could be heard as the nearby two-story building was in the framing stage and the construction crew was hurrying to install trusses and the roof before persistent rain falls.
The stars to which Mullins, the clinic's chief executive officer, was referring included the fundraising campaign, construction bids, federal stimulus money and now the construction. She explained the timing of each of those stages has been a positive for the $2.2 million project that is on schedule to be completed and opened next April.
“I love it,” said Mullins of the 19,560-square-foot building that is rising near the southeast corner of Kenneth Ford Drive and Jerry's Lane at the nonprofits campus in north Roseburg. “It's just amazing as we go through the process,” she said. “When we have the end product, things will just flow and we'll be very efficient.”
The new building will give the clinic almost twice the space it's had at its leased offices in a complex on Umpqua Street in Roseburg. More space will allow the clinic's medical, dental, administration and records departments to be brought under one roof.
Mullins said the clinic will be a professional facility offering primary care.
Mullins explained the new building will help the clinic fulfill its mission to provide health care to people who face obstacles that prevent them from receiving care and treatment. The clinic provides health and dental care based on a sliding scale, depending on patients' ability to pay. People with or without insurance can be seen at the clinic and qualify for the sliding-scale payments.
“When you look at the unemployment rate of Douglas County, people who don't have insurance, and that we don't have enough physicians, combined that indicates we're going to be busy,” said Mullins when asked about future operations.
In 2008, the clinic had 29,758 patient visits. This year, visits to date are about 30,000.
“We average about 200 new patients a month with about a 30 percent growth in uninsured patients,” said Mullins.
The thought process for a new clinic began about eight years ago. Roseburg architect Paul Bentley designed the building. A capital campaign began in April 2007 to help pay for it; $548,000 has been raised in donations for the new clinic and the opening of a clinic in Myrtle Creek.
“We had the good fortune to run the campaign when the economy was doing much better,” said Mullins. “The timing was wonderful for that. Most all of our pledges were honored, and some people gave more than they pledged.”
The health center has also been approved for $500,000 in federal stimulus money and the staff has applied for more.
“It's very competitive for stimulus money,” admitted Matt Morrow, the chief financial officer/deputy director for the clinic.
Morrow added the project has been approved for up to $3 million in a low-interest federal loan. He said the search for more funds is continuing in an effort to decrease the amount that will eventually have to be borrowed.
When the bidding process to construct the clinic began, the economy was slumping and many companies were in need of work. R.E. Noah Co. of Roseburg got the general contractor job. President Russ Noah said there was “tremendous response” from sub-contractors to bid on specific work and that material costs have been down.
“This job two years ago would have come at a much greater cost,” he said.
Noah added that 65 percent of the project budget is going to local sources and workers.
Guion Randol of Guion Randol Contracting of Roseburg is the construction manager. Randol is the liaison between the clinic and the general contractor.
“We were fortunate enough to start in good weather in July and that's helped us quite a bit in staying on schedule,” Noah said. “The building is growing on a daily basis. The construction costs are in line.
“At this point we're just looking to get the roof on and to winterize the site so we can work through the winter weather,” he added. “We're looking fine.”
“Schedule-wise we're doing great and from a cost standpoint we're doing very well,” said Randol. “The few changes that have been made — changing a door or modifying a room — have been easy to do.”
Once the clinic opens next spring and gets up to speed, Mullins and Morrow estimate it'll have 55 to 60 full-time employees. They said recruiting medical professionals is a competitive and difficult process, but having a new building should help.
“We've been working on this for years,” said Mullins. “We're absolutely pleased with the progress.”
• You can reach Features editor Craig Reed at 957-4210 or by e-mail at creed@nrtoday.com.
