Grandville Avenue's Clinica Santa Maria soon to showcase $120K renovation

Deborah Johnson Wood

Saint Mary's Health Care has nearly completed extensive renovations of its Clinica Santa Maria, adding exam rooms in anticipation of serving more patients.

Clinica Santa Maria, 730 Grandville Ave. SW, specializes in providing health care to Grand Rapids' Spanish speaking community and logs some 22,000 patient visits annually. The renovation of one-third of the 10,000-square-foot facility adds two patient examination rooms, expands the pharmacy and medical records areas, and improves patient flow within the office.

"We now have about three-and-a-half full-time-equivalent (FTE) physicians," says Bradford Mathis, Saint Mary's director of community benefits. "The two new exam rooms will allow us to accommodate five FTE physicians. That translates into accommodating about 2,000 additional patients a year."

The two new exam rooms bring the total number to 15, plus two private consultation rooms: one for financial assistance services and one for handling doctor referrals.

"Last fall we had two dental chairs, but we partner with Cherry Street Health Services for the dental so patients now go there," Mathis says. "We also had a maternal/infant health program that the Kent County Health Department provides at the patient's home, so we moved out that staff. Those changes freed up space."

Mathis says 95 percent of Clinica's staff members speak Spanish.

"A lot of our clients come from the neighborhood, but many come from farther out," Mathis says. "If they don't feel comfortable enough with their English, especially for medical care issues, they're willing to travel for that convenience."

The renovations include wiring the clinic for electronic healthcare records capabilities that will tie into the Saint Mary's Health Care system. The date for launching the service is undecided.

Some $110,000 in federal stimulus money funded most of the $120,000 renovation. The clinic is open during construction. The renovated space will open by February 1.

Source: Bradford Mathis, Saint Mary's Health Care

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].