August 7, 2024
By Kelsey Adams-Mortensen, ACHC Marketing Director
COUNCIL, Idaho-Healthcare professionals at Adams County Health Center (ACHC) celebrated the grand opening of its brand-new, state-of-the-art clinic building with a ribbon cutting ceremony on August 6.
The ribbon cutting ceremony marked the end of an almost two-year construction period that started with the groundbreaking ceremony on October 5, 2022.
“It feels amazing to finally be done with construction, and I am excited to show off the new facility and the wonderful services we continue to offer,” said Mendy Stanford, ACHC’s CEO. “We have needed a new facility for years because the old facility was modified from a hospital and a nursing home into a clinic and thus the space was not ideal. I feel so blessed to be working with such a wonderfully talented group of people who share an amazing vision that can now be showcased even better in a beautiful and modern facility.”
According to Mary Ann Domecq, ACHC’s Project Director, the deterioration and inherent problems of practicing healthcare services in a 62-year-old building was the driving force behind bringing the new clinic to this community. Some of the items that needed immediate attention were failing sanitary sewer lines, outdated and failing radiant ceiling heat, asbestos in the floors and ceilings, and the need to remove and replace the concrete floors in the hallways.
“A new health center has been needed for many years, and I am happy to have been a part of making the project possible,” said Domecq. “It has been an honor to work with the ACHC staff and the community for the past 18 years. This project has been the most meaningful work I have done in my lifetime, and I appreciate the hard work and support that everyone has put into making this health center a reality.”
The ribbon cutting ceremony was planned to be a formal event to present the new facility to government officials, dignitaries, and all the companies who played a role in building the new clinic. ACHC also streamed the event live on the ACHC’s Facebook page to enable anyone from the many communities ACHC serves to watch the ceremony if they wished.
“Doris Crossley, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Mary Ann Domecq, Project Manager who wrote the grants and applied for the USDA loans to get the new building, and Richard Rush, Idaho State Division of USDA Rural Development, spoke at the ribbon cutting ceremony,” said Stanford. “There was also a dedication ceremony from the local Masonic Lodge, a closing prayer provided by Les Sheneberger, Pastor from the Council Community Church, and guided building tours were given to everyone in attendance.”
Over the past two years, everyone at ACHC had to work together to get the facility completed while still providing top notch care to patients. According to Roundtree, every employee put in several hours, many of them donated, to make sure everything was done right.
“I’m very proud of how each employee contributed in their own way to make the new building special, organized, professional, and comfortable,” said Roundtree. “There were times when we were working literally in the rain, snow, and wind, and everyone still managed to stay positive to get the job done. I am honored to work alongside all the amazing, dedicated, awesome, and passionate people here at ACHC. This project has shown that together, we can do anything.”
The total cost of the project was $5,707,547. According to Wendy Mott, ACHC’s CFO, funds were received from a mixture of grants, charitable events, donations from community members, a loan from the USDA, and ACHC’s board. For any expenses not covered by the above categories, ACHC covered the expenses out of pocket. There was no county, city or tax money involved in the construction of the new building
“Even though we will still have loan payments to make on the building, it has been totally worth it,” said Mott. “I hope this new facility will allow us to perform even more services in the future than what we have been able to offer to the public in the past. It is important to me that ACHC will be able to continue to offer a variety of services and assistance to all our patients, new and existing, and I believe this new building is the key to doing that.”
This is more than just a new building for the staff at ACHC. It represents the dedication to the people of this community, a passion for providing high-quality services to a rural population, and an opportunity to meet the growing healthcare needs of the community in new and innovative ways.
“I hope that our community members, along with all the surrounding areas, will continue to trust ACHC with all their health care needs,” said Mott. “Just because our name is Adams County Health Center does not mean that we only serve Adams County residents. ACHC serves all people from any county, and we take great pride in helping anyone who comes into our building regardless of social or economic status. We built this beautiful new building for everyone, and I am so thankful to have the opportunity to continue to take care of the community’s healthcare needs.”
ACHC also plans to hold a grand opening barbeque that will be open to anyone who would like to attend. At 5:30 P.M. on Thursday, August 8, team members from ACHC will be providing free food and drinks, music, guided building tours, and family-friendly games to anyone who would like to celebrate the grand opening of the new clinic building.
ACHC is a Federally Qualified Health Center that strives to provide high quality health care services to residents and visitors of Adams, Washington, Valley, Idaho and surrounding counties. With healthcare facilities few and far between, ACHC offers an array of services to meet the healthcare needs of everyone, regardless of social or economic status. Some of the services ACHC currently offers are primary care, dental, pharmacy, laboratory, optometry, behavioral health, physical therapy, diabetes care, immunizations, financial and insurance.
