Sixteenth Street Community Health expanding Chavez Clinic
MILWAUKEE - Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers announced expansion plans at a ceremonial groundbreaking Tuesday for its clinic and organizational headquarters.
Locates in Walker's Point, the organization acquired the property near Cesar Chavez and Washington for approximately $200,000 in February 2022. The new $9 million facility is expected to open in fall 2024.
"The more we can offer under one roof, the easier it is for our patients and clients to receive all the care that they need," said Julie Schller, Sixteenth Street president and CEO.
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More than 45,000 individuals rely on Sixteenth Street, a news release said, and the development is estimated to accommodate an additional 32,000 visits annually for people of Milwaukee's south side community who are currently without needed care.
"I have everything here: my doctors, my thereapists, and especially all my friends," said Olga Vara, who has gone to Sixteenth Street for more than 15 years to be treated for diabetes and depression. "Here we can come and talk to people and with medicines now, it’s going to be terrific."
Rendering of 16th Street Clinic West Elevation (Courtesy: ROTH Design Group via Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers)
Sixteenth Street said the three-story, approximately 21,000-square-foot clinic expansion is being constructed at the north end of the existing clinic. It will offer primary medical care, a new pharmacy, integrated behavioral health services, supportive social services and wellness classes, which will be available under one roof.
"We believe everybody deserves high quality care and we want to be able to provide that right here within the community," Schuller said.
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The expansion will also include a new pharmacy, so patients seeing a doctor at Sixteenth’s Street’s Chavez Clinic will be able to go straight from their appointment to the pharmacy to pick up prescribed medication. The new pharmacy is one of the only pharmacies to be introduced to the area and the second pharmacy to be located within Sixteenth Street clinics, the release said. The majority of the second floor of the expansion will offer the community additional mental health services – including substance use disorder services, additional space and rooms for groups.
Sixteenth Street operates seven clinics in Milwaukee and one in Waukesha. In addition, the organization has clinics in 23 schools – the most recent of which is located inside of South Division High School – a satellite geriatric clinic at the United Community Center, and a Women, Infant and Children clinic.