HealthFirst awards construction contracts for new Fall River center

FALL RIVER – Walk-in medical clinic HealthFirst plans to break ground this fall on a new, larger facility at 387 Quarry Road.
The nonprofit clinic’s Project Oversight Committee recently nailed down contracts with three companies that will oversee the conversion of the former textile mill into a health center, CEO Julie Almond told Providence Business News.
Columbia Construction Co. of North Reading, Mass., will serve as the contractor and Skanska USA’s local operations will oversee the buildout. Steffian Bradley Architects of Boston designed the facility expected to open late next year.
“I think we’ve made excellent selections,” Almond said. “We wanted a team that had experience for our project that’s as large as ours.”
The new facility, at 36,000 square feet, will more than triple the size of the existing 10,000-square-foot location a quarter of a mile away on County Street. Construction is anticipated to cost between $8 million and $10 million, with the entire project totaling $13 million, Almond said. The U.S. Health Resources and Service Administration awarded HealthFirst an $11.5 million grant in December to help pay for the project. The organization is seeking financing for the remaining $1.5 million to purchase the building.
When complete, Almond said the new home is expected to serve about 15,000 patients annually. HealthFirst currently serves close to 7,000 patients a year.
If the new building opens on schedule, its opening will coincide with the clinic’s 40th birthday.