CLAY CENTER -- The renovation of the Clay Center Family Physicians (CCFP) clinic was recently given a big boost through a $100,000 grant from the Patterson Family Foundation (PFF).
The gift supports a campaign that was created to fund the new furnishings, fixtures and equipment that will be part of a $1.6 million total renovation of the entire clinic. The project will be completed in six phases and is scheduled to be finished in July.
The first phase of the project was the development of a unique new “infectious disease clinic,” which is the first of its kind in the region.
Using the former clinic lab space, which is located between CCFP and Clay County Medical Center (CCMC), an entirely self-contained clinic was built and now operates on a separate ventilation system and has its own entrance. The purpose of the separation is to contain any sort of airborne disease within that space, apart from the clinic or the hospital, keeping other patients and members of the healthcare team safe from potential infection.
With COVID-19 having such a huge impact on healthcare since the start of the pandemic last year, CCMC CEO Austin Gillard said the original plans for a total remodel of the clinic changed to include this new style of special-purpose clinic. Gillard said he realized they needed to develop a long-term solution to treat COVID patients safely.
“Watching the pandemic spread throughout the nation, we at CCMC knew healthcare would be changed for years to come,” said Gillard. “We needed a way to treat our COVID patients in a safe environment. In June 2020, we started converting all inpatient and OB rooms into negative airflow rooms, however, we still did not have a good solution to treat our outpatient COVID patients in a safe environment, that could be sterilized after each visit. After reworking our CCFP interior update drawings, we were able to build a self-sustaining infectious disease clinic that adjoined to CCFP and CCMC.”
After months of engineering and building, this infectious disease clinic is now a reality. In February, the CCFP team was able to move into this new infectious disease clinic. Not only can COVID patients be seen by medical providers in the clinic, any patient exhibiting signs of an infectious disease would also use the clinic.
It was this unique effort that caught the attention of the Patterson Family Foundation, which led to the grant.
“Patterson Family Foundation is pleased to contribute funding to Clay County Medical Center as front line providers and staff work tirelessly to care for patients. We hope this funding helps CCMC purchase the critical equipment and supplies needed to treat COVID-19. It is both our privilege and pleasure to offer a helping hand to rural communities navigating through these unprecedented times,” PFF added.
“We absolutely appreciate the generous grant provided by the Patterson Family Foundation,” said Dan Thalmann, CCFP Campaign Director. “I have to thank Aaron Floersch, who originally told me about the grant opportunity. When we looked into the Patterson Family Foundation and the work they’ve done, we thought our project could be a good fit. We were thrilled to be awarded $100,000 in support of this major project, which will benefit healthcare in the region for many years to come.”
CCHF will include the grant in its campaign to financially support the renovation. The CCHF board has committed to donate $200,000 toward the project with funds raised through exam room sponsorship opportunities in the clinic. Naming rights for a limited number of rooms are available for $5,000 each.
To learn more about the project or to sponsor a room or donate any other amount, contact Dan Thalmann, campaign director, at 785-747-6980. The Clay County Hospital Foundation is a 501c3 organization, so all contributions to the campaign would be tax-deductible.