A ribbon cutting ceremony was conducted on Jan. 27 for the new Caring Health Center facility.
Reminder Publishing photos by Ryan Feyre
SPRINGFIELD — Local and state officials gathered with the community on Jan. 27 to celebrate the grand opening of Caring Health Center’s new facility at 1235 Boston Rd.
According to Tania Barner, the president and CEO of CHC, the new 14,000-square-foot facility expands health care services for thousands of Pine Point and Indian Orchard residents, as well as surrounding communities like Ludlow, Wilbraham, Ware, Monson and Palmer.
“Today marks a very momentous occasion, and we are so thankful,” Barner said to a room full of people inside the new location. “This facility stands as a testament to the voices that called for expanded medical services, particularly the Pine Point and Indian Orchard residents. Their cry for help was championed by the Indian Orchard Neighborhood Council, whose passionate advocacy highlighted the critical needs of women, children [and] families in the community.”
The new facility, which was created with the help of state and federal partnerships, will provide comprehensive adult and pediatric care and dental and behavioral health services, along with pharmacy services. According to CHC, the new facility ensures “accessible and integrated health care for all residents regardless of ability to pay.”
In her remarks to the public, Barner said CHC has seen well over 600,000 patients across its 30-year history and has had a total economic impact of $74.6 million: $35.5 million in direct health care spending, and $39.1 million in community spending; according to 2022 numbers.
She added that CHC’s total savings to the overall health system amounts to $38 million, as of 2022.
“This facility is a testament to what can be accomplished when we come together as a community, guided by the belief that everyone, and I’ll say that again, that everyone deserves access to compassionate, high-quality care, but also to have a state-of-the-art space that reflects their care,” Barner said. “Over the past three years, we’ve faced challenges and continue to face challenges, but we also witnessed the strength of our partnerships, the unwavering support of our neighbors, and the determination to answer the voices of need that called for this change.”
An important selling point with the new CHC facility is its accessibility for residents. Yvonne Williams, the chief development officer for CHC, recalled a time when someone told her that it takes four to five hours to travel by bus from Indian Orchard to Main Street to get an appointment. The new CHC facility, however, has a PVTA bus stop right in front it.
U.S. Rep. Richard Neal (D-Springfield), who was in attendance for the grand opening, emphasized the importance of offering outpatient services in the way CHC does, because people who do not have primary care typically head to emergency rooms.
He and other officials who spoke at the grand opening noted that going to the ER for health care can be a futile pursuit if a patient’s health has already deteriorated at that point.
With its new facility, CHC hopes to mitigate the shortage of medical access in the area, especially because there are approximately 2,000 people waiting to access health care in the community.
“People who need health care have to have access to health care,” Neal said. “You provide that here.”
Also in his remarks, Neal noted the significance of opening this facility amid the 60-year anniversary of when the Medicare Act and Medicaid Act were signed into law and promised to resist any effort to cut the two health insurance programs.
He added that almost every child has health insurance in the state, and 97% of Massachusetts adults currently have it.
“There can be no cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid,” he said.
Mayor Domenic Sarno echoed Williams’ sentiment around the new center’s accessibility and noted that the facility will help people receive “preventive and proactive” care.
“This is so vitally important to stop the quagmire of our ERs, whether it’s at Baystate [Medical Center] or at Mercy [Medical Center],” Sarno said in his remarks. “The more we can do to have facilities such as Caring Health Center, the better the health will be for each and every one of us, no matter what creed, color or background. And if you feel good, you’re most likely going to be able to provide for yourself, for your family and maybe for your city or your town.”
With the new facility now open, the health care center’s existing offices at 860 Boston Rd. will now be dedicated to reproductive health care.
According to the health care center, CHC receives 91,000 visits annually, serves patients in 22 communities and provides health care in 47 languages. Readers can learn more about CHC by visiting caringhealth.org.
