April 20 – May 4, 2012
edition
Yakima Valley Business Times
By Carrie Snider
Work is
almost complete at the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic center at 2205 W.
Lincoln Ave. in Yakima. The clinic building houses medical, dental, maternity
and WIC services.
In October 2010, YVFWC was
awarded at $12 million federal grant, $1,300,000 of which went toward the
Lincoln Avenue Clinic expansion and remodel project. The other $70,607 needed
for the project came through private funds.
Expansion plans included
adding space to the first-floor medical area and the second-floor dental/WIC
area, and remodeling was planned for other existing spaces. A staff parking lot
would also be added behind the clinic.
“It was really a phenomenal
project,” said Sherpri Giles Small, clinic manager. “We’re going to be able to
add more patients and staff.”
A total of 2,604 square feet
was added to the two floors, along with a 472-square-foot basement addition for
storage. Another 2,300 square feet of the existing interior was
remodeled.
Megan Beyer of KDF
Architecture in Yakima was the project manager for the design. “It was an
exciting project for us in terms of design. It was for the pediatric and family
clinic, so we got to focus on children. That gave us more options to be
playful.”
Local artist Deb Powers,
whose art is also at the Children’s Village medical facility, will be painting
murals in the medical area and into the corridor that leads to exam rooms. Going
upstairs is also a new design structure that mimics a tree house and leads into
the dental/WIC area. “It’s really an experience,” Beyer added.
Details of the
expansion:
- 1,532 square feet of medical space added on first floor
- 1,072 square feet of conference, office, program and waiting room space
added on second floor
- Six pediatric exam rooms, to provider offices, one weigh/measure area, one
patient restroom added
- Two medical assistant workstations added on first floor
- 441 square feet of waiting room space and seven WIC certifier offices added
on second floor
- Lab reorganized from 336 square feet down to 291 square feet to allow for an
expanded lab waiting space
- 1,179 square feet on second floor remodeled for seven new WIC certifier
offices
- Dental waiting room expanded from 480 to 921 square feet to accommodate WIC
patients
Small said the updated
dental/WIC waiting room was doubled and offers gaming systems and a flat-screen
TV—not to mention the amazing view through the large windows—to help patients
feel comfortable. As she explained, it really reflects why they started the
project.
The clinic will also be
adding a new pediatric doctor in July, and increasing the number of dental
residents from two to three.
In addition, the expansion of
the clinic reduced the on-site parking by approximately seven spaces; and with
the expanding medical and dental programs, more parking was needed for staff and
patients. A new gated staff parking lot, located directly behind the clinic at
23rd Avenue, is due to be completed May 2012 and will offer 59
spaces.
Casey Kitt, with Tri-Ply
Construction in Yakima, was the project manager for the different phases of
expansion and remodel. It was a little challenging at times, but as Kitt
explained, they worked around the clinic as needed.
“It is a fully operational
clinic, so they didn’t get to shut down. We had to revise our plans in order to
keep it operational and not be a nuisance with dust, smell or noise.”
Tri-Ply has worked on other
Farm Workers Clinic projects, and right now is also working on expanding a vet
clinic, among other projects.
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