Plans Move Forward for Community Health Center

Plans to connect two buildings in the 300 block of East North Street to build a federally subsidized health care clinic were approved by the Waukesha Plan Commission on Wednesday.

There were some concerns about parking from Alderman Roger Patton, who asked that the decision be delayed to allow for the area business owners to give feedback, including However, City Planner Mike Hoeft told the Plan Commission that the Plan Commission had approved the building with the parking spots in 2005. All the Plan Commission was asked to approved Wednesday night was connecting the two buildings.

“Something has got to go in there,” Hoeft said. “We can’t tell the owner it has to stay vacant.”

The 16th Street Community Health Center in Milwaukee is planning the health care center to serve underinsured or uninsured people in Waukesha County. The health care center would be affiliated with ProHealth Care.

A $2.6 million grant for the health care facility was announced in October 2010, according to an Oct. 8, 2010, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article.

“The funds are the first in a series of awards that will be made available to community health centers under the Affordable Care Act,” according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Community health centers serve nearly 19 million patients, about 40 percent of whom have no health insurance. Community health centers deliver preventive and primary care services at more than 7,900 service delivery sites around the country to patients regardless of their ability to pay; charges for services are set according to income.”

The Foundation was in the process of raising $2 million to help fund the project, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article and ProHealth Care’s website.

“It is anticipated that the center will provide health care services to at least 8,515 underserved individuals at the end of two years, for a total of approximately 21,000 visits in that period,” the ProHealth Care website states. “After that time, the center will be operating at full capacity and we do not anticipate continuing operating losses.”