DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) – The Lake Superior Community Health Center (LSCHC) provides a vast array of services from dental to psychiatry, but they say they’ve outgrown their current space and are looking to upgrade to a new building.
CEO Lee Homan said the health center currently cares for around 11,000 patients, which is too many for a building of their size. He said they need a new building to sustain their patient’s needs.
“Folks are traveling a long way to access some of the services we provide, and honestly the demand for our services outpaces our ability to provide them in our current space,” Homan said.
They provide sliding fee discounts that are available based on income and household size. No patient is turned away because of the inability to pay.
They’re interested in expanding their services in the new space to become a resource hub to offer programming and services to youth and families in the area.
“The goal of a community health center like us is to provide universal access to comprehensive care,” Homan said.
Homan is traveling to St. Paul to lobby for a quarter-million in state funding for the planning portion of the project.
They’ve partnered with the City of Duluth, Duluth Public Schools, Valley Youth Center, Duluth Community School Collaborative, Health Equity Northland, and Riverfront Community Development on the project.
They’re eyeing a spot adjacent from Laura MacArthur Elementary School, near Memorial Park, for their new location, but a final decision has not been made for the new location.
Duluth City Councilor Janet Kennedy is excited about the idea of transforming the health center into a community resource center too.
“We’ll have services right on site, and then we can draw in people from across our region and St. Louis County, which will be exciting,” Kennedy said.
She agrees with Homan that the center has too many patients for a building of their size and likes the idea of adding a community center too.
Kennedy is hopeful that the center will be successful in securing state funds, and hopes they can get some federal dollars too.
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