WellOne to break ground on expansion

BURILLVILLE – WellOne Primary Medical and Dental Care is breaking ground Monday on a 2,700-square-foot addition and a facility modernization project supported by federal stimulus funds, a low-interest stimulus loan, and a federal earmark secured by U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.
The community health center, created through the merger of Northwest Community Health Care and Bayside Family Health Care, is expanding and upgrading its Pascoag site, responding to growing demand for services.
Established in 1909, Northwest was the oldest nonprofit community health center in Rhode Island, and it was also the first rural health clinic in the nation. It has long been involved in public health initiatives, from immunization and chronic disease management programs to dental services.
Today, WellOne operates sites in Pascoag, Foster and North Kingstown and serves more than 13,000 patients. In addition to primary medical and dental care, it provides behavioral health, mammography and bone density scanning services, and it runs a discount pharmacy program in collaboration with CVS/pharmacy.
Along with the federal funds – which include a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture through a program established in the stimulus bill – the new project will be financed through a memorial brick fundraising campaign that is to be launched at the groundbreaking ceremony.
The event is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. at 36 Bridge Way in Pascoag. Both Reed and Whitehouse are expected to be on hand, as well as local officials and WellOne directors and staff. There will be tours of the facility afterward.