Construction starts at One Community Health

As the construction unfolds over the summer months and beyond, health center hours, patient services and patient parking will remain unaffected. Staff members have been asked to park offsite or walk/bike to work. This will open up parking for patients and minimize construction-related impacts.

“At One Community Health, it will be business as usual — with the obvious exception that we have a construction project in process and lots of activity around the current facility,” said Rich Rice, One Community Health’s facilities manager.

“That said, this is construction we are talking about, and so precautions have been made and people need to pay attention. As the health and safety of all patients, staff and those in the surrounding neighborhoods are our top priorities, it’s important for anyone coming near or onto the premises to be aware of the building project, use common sense, and follow all safety and hazard signage.”

One Community Health chose Scott Edwards Architecture to design the Hood River replacement facility. At 35,500 square feet, the future building will be more than double the current structure, which now sits at 14,000 square feet. With a growing patient population, the health center is in dire need of expanding its physical footprint to ensure access to care.

“This is no small project,” said Belinda Batcha, OCH’s interim CEO. “A lot of thought and careful planning has gone into making this facility a place where we can serve in our mission now and over the years to come. The demand is there, and this facility has been a long time coming. We’re very grateful it’s officially ‘go time’ and appreciate all those who’ve helped us get to this point — from the USDA, the project’s lender, to the City of Hood River and even a few of the neighboring business owners allowing our staff to share their parking lots. Every little bit of support plays a role in this project’s success.”

For inquires about this project, contact Rice at 541-308-8393 or rrice@onecommunityhealth.org. Construction updates may be found at www.onecommunityhealth.org/hood-river-building-news.