EBNHC Starts Moving into Maverick Square

The East Boston Neighborhood Health Center has received its occupancy permit and is now off to the races, so to speak. With its administrative offices already activated inside the new structure.

The City of Boston has recently issued the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC) its occupancy permit and the administrative offices have already moved into the new building in Maverick Square.

EBNHC is planning a ribbon cutting sometime in June and the rest of the building should be occupied by that time.

Last year, EBNHC officials joined local elected officials and leaders of the health care industry to break ground on what is sure to become an anchor development in the square.

The new, 49,000 square-foot ambulatory care building, which is being funded in part with $12 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) money, will allow EBNHC to create new, critically-needed capacity to serve patients in need of primary care, vision services, and dental care. It is the first ARRA-funded project to break ground in the United States.

It was announced in December 2010 that President Barack Obama had chosen the EBNHC as the recipient of $12 million in stimulus money to build a brand new facility in Maverick Square.

This was the last round of federal stimulus money and out of 600 application only 85 projects were chosen and out of those 85 projects EBNHC received the most money.”

The new Maverick Square facility, which was completed in just over a year, will expand primary care, vision, and dental services that have been operating in tight quarters in the main health center building.

Demand for these clinical services has been growing at a pace that cannot be sustained in the current location. The new building will also provide a home for the EBNHC Education and Training Institute as well as administration offices, which currently are in leased space.

Consistent with the intent of ARRA, the $12 million in stimulus funds for this $20 million project created over 150 construction jobs and over 50 permanent health care jobs.  An additional benefit of the project will be the anchor it provides to economic development and revitalization efforts in Maverick Square.

The new facility, which was built on a lot that was largely vacant, will complement a renovated MBTA Blue Line station in the square and other recent improvements.  The building will be LEED certified and fully energy efficient.  The architect for the project is isgenuity, LLC of Needham, Mass. and the project manager is Suffolk Construction, of Boston.

EBNHC has been a vital part of its community for over 40 years, providing easily accessible, high-quality health care to all who live and work in East Boston and the surrounding communities of Chelsea, Revere, Everett, and Winthrop.  EBNHC handles 300,000 patient visits per year – more than any other ambulatory care center in New England.

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