The new Connecticut Institute for Communities Greater Danbury Community Health Center at 120 Main Street in Danbury has been officially dedicated. The property is the site of the old Danbury Police Station. Construction cost about $15 million. The land was purchased for about $1 million.
The 37,000 square foot, four-story structure will house several services. They include pediatric and adolescent medical and behavioral health services; comprehensive women's health services; an on-site blood sample suite; full service pharmacy; patient intake, enrollment and insurance assistance. and headquarters for the CIFC.
The federally qualified health center serves all people regardless of income or insurance. The facility should be fully operational by the end of the year. Some services will be moving from the Greater Danbury Community Health Center's 70 Main Street facility, which will then be dedicated primarily to Adult Medicine and Family Dentistry.
The new building will bring approximately 60 new jobs to downtown Danbury with a total annual payroll of more than $6 million. The building was designed by Quicquaro Architects and Quisenberry-Arcari Architects. The building was constructed by Verdi Construction Company of Bethel, and involved about 100 full and part-time jobs.
The financing for the building involved a mix of public and private funding. The state provided a $4 million grant. Private mortgage financing totalled about $6 million. Private investment through the Federal New Market Tax Credit program were provided to the tune of about $5 million.
CIFC President & CEO Jim Maloney says the new facility significantly expands pediatric and women's health services, as well as add entirely new services such as phlebotomy and a pharmacy, onsite. This is the only teaching health center in the state. A formal program of teaching residents who will specialize in internal medicine is run by CIFC. Danbury Hospital is a partner in three other residency programs.
Governor Dannel Malloy says the state has been a proud partner in this project to both enhance community health care in the Danbury area and provide a major economic boost to the city's downtown. Malloy, the son of a nurse, says having access to care is extremely important. He says this is in keeping with what the state has been working on to provide health care closer to home. Malloy says the system the state is trying to build cares for people who need support, outreach and care.
Mayor Mark Boughton says the Institute's new building means the location of new, permanent jobs to downtown Danbury. He says many of them are high-paying positions such as physicians and advanced practice nurses. He says all of this activity is a major benefit to the economic prosperity of the downtown and the City as a whole. Boughton says in Danbury, they come together on a bipartisan basis to get things done for the community.
Senator Richard Blumenthal says this kind of investment that pays off for everyone. He says the opening of the building represents an investment in behavioral health services and women's health care. He says mental health care is the great ignored challenge of the time. Blumenthal says women's health care is too often shortchanged, but that's not the case in Danbury. He says the center is a cutting-edge institution which looks forward.
Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty says the innovative new health center is a welcome addition to the community. She said she is proud of the progress being made to ensure more Connecticut residents have access to comprehensive health care. Esty says teaching health centers are the future of medicine. She says Danbury is leading the way in community-based health care. 30,000 people in the area were identified as not otherwise having dental care. The Greater Danbury Community Health Center receives a $350,000 recurring annual grant for dental health care.
