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After tough start at fundraising, clinic becomes reality

ANDERSON VALLEY RISES TO CHALLENGE TO BUILD GOLD-RATED GREEN FACILITY

BOONVILLE – As the only health care provider, public or private, for 242 square miles, it was apparent after 30 years that finding more space for Anderson Valley Health Center would be vital to the health of thousands in the southwest Mendocino County region of Anderson Valley.

So about three years ago, officials kicked off their first-ever official capital campaign, eventually receiving support from the community and completing what could be the most unique community health care clinic in the state.

When planning for the expansion started in January 2005, green was not really part of the picture. But an attempt for a green-specific grant spawned the idea, which the clinic then took on whole-heartedly, first looking for basic-LEED certification but eventually filing for gold, the second-highest possible level.

“Pretty much anything that could be green is green,” said clinic Executive Director Judith Dolan. “It’s not just about putting up some solar panels. It’s everything from sustainably forested timber to weighing all waste and recycling during construction, even eco-friendly cleaning products and maintenance programs.”

In the beginning, fund-raising efforts were slow, with less than $50,000 of the desired $1 million taken in during the first six months. The group received a few local grants to get the drawings for the 2,700-square-foot expansion, but from there the campaign stalled.

Then finally, after a year and a half without much luck, hard grant submission work paid off and the clinic received a $250,000 reward from the Tides Foundation in July 2006. “From there we really had the opportunity to reach out to the community with a little bit more hope and say, ‘This is what we have, and this is what we want to do,’” Ms. Dolan said.

“The response from the community was amazing. We received everything from $10-a-month donations to $40,000 and $50,000 checks and reached our goal in less than a year.” By December, the clinic actually surpassed its goal by a quarter of a million dollars.

With fundraising completed, the expansion was finally ready to take off, breaking ground last summer. The clinic stayed open through construction, and Anderson Valley celebrated the grand opening May 13.

The new building adjoined to the original campus houses the organization’s first behavioral health and alternative medicine program. It has two rooms for behavioral health, which will include drug addiction and mental illness, and one treatment room for alternative medicine, including chiropractic and acupuncture services.

The new wing also houses four dental treatment areas, allowing the clinic to centralize those services that were once held in a rented space downtown. Treatment is now available four days a week and soon five days a week, up from just one day previous to the expansion.

Outside, solar panels provide about 70 percent to 95 percent of energy needs, and drought-resistant plants and special drip water systems decorate the lot. Most of the lighting for the building is naturally provided through windows, and light fixtures are fixed with motion detectors and light sensors to automatically click on if the room darkens or click off if there is no motion.

A new conference room and waiting room were also included in the construction, as well as a home for the city’s volunteer ambulance services, which was previously located in a building with no running water.

“When the community found out how much of a need the clinic had for expanding, the response was phenomenal,” said Cathy Frey, executive director for the Alliance for Rural Community Health in Ukiah, which advocates on behalf of the county’s clinics.