Construction
Begins on new administrative center funded by Federal Stimulus Program.
DENTON
- Construction has begun on an expansion to the administrative center for
Choptank Community Health System (CCHS). The project, designed by Davis, Bowen,
& Friedel of Salisbury will add an 8500 sq. ft., two story building to the
current administrative offices in
Denton
. The General Contractor for the building is Harper & Sons General
Contractors of
Easton
.
Planning for the expansion began in 2008 and was approved
by the CCHS Board in May 2009. The total cost of the project is 1.5 million
dollars. Since CCHS is a Federally
Qualified Health Center, the expansion is eligible for funding authorized by
Congress in the stimulus program passed earlier this year.
As a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) CCHS
successfully applied for a one time grant that will provides 1.148 Million
dollars for the building project. The project will preserve 80 local
construction jobs during the 8 months it is expected to complete.
CCHS is a fully accredited community health center providing comprehensive
medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare services in Caroline, Dorchester, and
Talbot
Counties
. Services are provided through its seven primary care offices as well as seven
school-based health centers. Dental services are provided in three dental
centers and its school-based dental program in all three Counties. In 2008, over
26,600 patients were seen through the combined programs of Choptank Community
Health System for a total of 88,000 visits.
Over the past five years, CCHS has experienced significant growth, with a 47
percent increase in the number patients seen in its programs. As
a result of this growth, the administrative staff has outgrown the current
administrative building. CCHS has 19 medical providers and three dental
providers with a total staff of 150 of which 80% are involved directly in the
care of patients. When complete the new center will allow key management staff
to be located centrally. This includes the CEO, COO, Chief Marketing/Development
Officer, Chief Clinical Officer, and the Community-Based Program Manager.
The Office will also house the administrative staff providing support to
the clinical offices including the Finance Department, Patient Accounts, Human
Resources, Information Technology, Facilities Management, Quality/Risk Manager,
and Grants Management.
In addition to the building will allow for the creation of a centralized call
center. The planned call center will improve access to care through centralized
appointment scheduling. Many community health centers have found that call
centers help to improve chronic disease management, benefiting patients, and
their physicians. The call center is anticipated to be operational in 2010.
"This
funding comes at a critical time for our organization and our region", said
J. Wayne Howard, CEO. "It allows us to continue to meet the growing health
care needs of the communities we serve and the grant allows us to focus our
financial resources on serving our patients as we continuously strive to live
our mission of Quality Healthcare for all."
