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Home » Success Stories » Building Healthy Neighborhoods
| Success Story: Building Healthy Neighborhoods
Staff at the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center knew that they could provide better care for more patients. Employees were dedicated, hard-working and skilled, but they were severely limited by an outdated and deteriorating building. "The windows and roof leaked and the layout was inadequate," explains Addabbo CEO, Dr. Peter Nelson.
For years, the center had leased a 50 year-old building in the poor and underserved area of Rockaway, Queens. It was surrounded by vacant lots intended for an urban renewal project that started with demolition in 1970, but went no further.
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| Today, the Addabbo Family Health Center has a bright, efficient new home that reflects its commitment to excellent healthcare. Thirteen well-equipped exam rooms replace the four old ones. PCDC provided $9.4 million in financing to build the new facility.
Adds Dr. Nelson, "The effect of having a new state-of-the-art 22,000 square foot facility has really been remarkable. Now we're in a place that projects the reality of the quality that we have always provided."
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| Time was invested along with financial capital. PCDC staff coordinated the process to select architects and contractors, worked with Addabbo to win foundation grants to supplement the loans and helped Addabbo obtain New York State regulatory approvals. Ongoing advice and support brought the project to fruition.
"I had never had the experience building something of this size and complexity. PCDC taught me how to be a leader of a project management team. They are people that not only loan you money, but they help you to understand better how to spend it. So that we can do what we know best, which is provide primary care in these communities," Dr. Peter Nelson.
Today, the new facility enables Addabbo to offer state-of-the-art care. The health center has increased patient visits by 40 percent. Since this loan project, PCDC and Addabbo continue to work together, including regional emergency response planning, rescuing the St. Dominic Family Health Center from the Caritas hospital bankruptcy, and practice redesign programs.
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