The Times Weekly, News
The VNA Health Care this week broke ground in Joliet on what will be the largest community health center in the Chicago suburbs. The new facility, being built on land already owned by VNA at 1501 West Jefferson Street, will include 26 medical exam rooms, a wellness kitchen, waiting areas, laboratory, nursing stations and mental and behavioral health counseling rooms. At the new, expanded 14,000 square foot facility, VNA physicians and nurse practitioners will offer family practice, obstetrics, pediatrics, and mental and behavioral health. This extra capacity will allow VNA to greatly expand their services for the Joliet and surrounding communities, and they expect to serve 5,000 more patients and complete 25,000 more exams over the next 30 months.
At a groundbreaking, VNA President and CEO Linnea Windel was joined by Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk, State Representative Larry Walsh (IL-86), Will County board members, representatives from Senator Dick Durbin and Congresswoman Lauren Underwood’s office, and other officials to recognize the impact this new health center will bring for the community.
“Today is an exciting day for VNA Health Care as we break ground on this new health center, which will allow us to better serve the Joliet community by providing even more residents with access to high-quality, affordable healthcare,” said Linnea Windel, President, and CEO of VNA Health Care. “Community health centers play a vital role in our healthcare system, and we look forward to expanding our services and increasing our capacity for those in need through this new health center.
Last fall, the Health Resources & Services Administration – Bureau of Public Health (HRSA) awarded VNA $1.3 million in federal funding to support construction of the new location. The funding was authorized by the American Rescue Plan of 2021, which provided HRSA with funding to support construction, expansion, alteration, renovation, and other capital improvements to modify, enhance, and expand health care infrastructure.
Joliet and the surrounding communities that will be served by the new VNA location have a low-income population of 71,000, but only 26,000 are currently served by Community Health Centers. In Will County, approximately 8% of residents live below the poverty line.
“The services that VNA Health Care provides are absolutely critical to ensuring the health and wellbeing of residents in Joliet and throughout the Chicago suburbs,” said Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11). ” I am especially glad that they are taking extra steps to increase language accessibility to better serve the community.”
To address the 31.5% of the Hispanic/Latino population in Will County that speaks English less than “very well,” VNA’s new Joliet location will offer all services in both English and Spanish with additional languages available through translation services.
The new health center will also provide services to improve overall health outcomes for the community, including chronic disease management, access to cancer screenings like mammograms, benefits assistance, and nutrition education. VNA’s current Joliet location is in a leased space and all services will eventually move to the new location upon project completion. The facility is planned to open for services in 2023.
