Mayor Richard M. Daley today officially opened the new Austin Family Health Center on the City’s West Side, a $5.4 million state-of-the-art medical facility that provides primary healthcare to residents of Austin and the surrounding communities.

“The guiding principle behind this center is that people should have access to convenient, high-quality health care, regardless of geography and economic circumstances,” Daley said at a news conference at the center at 5425 W. Lake St. “Residents of the West Side should not have to leave their neighborhoods to get affordable quality healthcare. Those services should be available close to home.”

The City sold the land valued at $345,000 for $1 for the construction of the 18,000 square foot clinic. Developed by PCC Community Wellness Center, the new health clinic replaces a nearby outdated building and is more than double the size of the old facility.

Residents will have access to quality healthcare delivered by a team of physicians, nurses, dentists and other health and community professionals.

The two-story clinic will serve families in the community with an emphasis on maternal and child health services. Medical care will be provided without regard to income and insurance status.

The center has 15 exam rooms and a pharmacy on the first floor and five dental suites, counseling rooms and meeting rooms on the second floor. 

In addition to providing access to health care for a medically underserved population, the center focuses on the management of chronic diseases, such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease and hypertension.

“Services will now be provided in a modern facility that sets new standards in design for community healthcare and welcomes residents of all ages from children to seniors,” Daley said. “The center will provide residents with the tools they need to live healthy lifestyles.”

Austin residents were recruited to work on the construction of the building, creating 75 temporary construction jobs during the building phase. The newly expanded Austin Family Health Center is expected to create over 30 permanent jobs.

Designed to meet Silver LEED standards, the building includes a partial green roof and other sustainable elements in its design, including large expanses of Low E glass to make use of natural light, ground source heat pumps for cooling and heating and solar-powered water heaters.

Other energy-saving features include extensive use of recycled materials and drought resistant landscaping.

PCC operates eight family health centers with a staff of more than 200 caregivers, including 34 physicians. The health centers serve more than 30,000 individuals a year through over 100,000 patient visits.

The City is also in the process of conveying two more parcels for additional parking for the health center and will seek City Council approval at a later date.

In addition to a new health center the City has made a number of investments to help improve the quality of life in the Austin community in recent years.

They include new housing, the 15th District Police Station and authorizing additional funding for the existing Small Business Improvement Fund in the Madison Austin TIF district to serve additional small businesses. 

In the last five years, SBIF has provided 14 grants totaling $750,000 to help owners of commercial and industrial properties make improvements to their properties.

The Troubled Building Initiative continues to be an important tool for revitalizing Chicago’s neighborhoods. Since 2004, the City has reclaimed and rehabbed 1,000 apartments and over 180 single-family homes in Austin through the initiative.