Construction is Under Way

Work began in early April at the Commercial Street location off Route 28 in Mashpee, on land donated by the Town of Mashpee. The exterior is largely completed and by mid-September the work had moved inside. The project is on schedule and on budget, and we expect to move into the new building in early 2008.

The New Building (click here to view)

Our plans call for a building of approximately 10,000 square feet, more than double the square footage of the current location. With this additional space, we will be able to add providers and expand our programs, to include dental services, which are critically needed on the Cape. Overall capacity is projected to reach 27,000 patient visits annually. The new building will have 12 exam/procedure rooms, three dental exam rooms, two central nursing stations, pharmacy, counseling rooms, and “sick” and “well” waiting areas designated for adults and children. It will incorporate modern medical practices, such as our electronic medical record system, and will be environmentally friendly, with modern energy and waste disposal technology. With a community meeting room and internet access stations for patient education, the building will be a vital community resource.

The Mashpee location, off Route 28 and on a bus line, will be convenient from all points on the Upper Cape. Nonetheless, the Falmouth and Bourne locations will continue to serve patients after the new building opens.

The Need

Cape Cod Free Clinic & Community Health Center has evolved from a free clinic for people with no health insurance into a Federally Qualified Health Center serving the uninsured as well as those covered by public and, to a lesser extent, private insurance plans. Given the ongoing high rate of uninsured people and the critical shortage of primary care clinicians on the Cape, demand for the Health Center’s services is expected to continue to grow.

Since becoming a community health center, we have expanded programs; added locations and hours of service; invested in technological and human resources; and taken the lead in a number of regional health initiatives , all in an effort to improve access to care for those in need.

Massachusetts’ Commonwealth Care program will provide insurance to thousands of people who have not previously had it, but the region’s shortage of primary care clinicians continues. With so few providers in the area, many of the newly insured people are turning to the Health Center for care.

In just eight years, we have occupied three different leased locations, each larger than the previous one, but still inadequate to care for our increasing patient volume. After our most recent move to Mashpee in June 2004, it became clear that the ultimate solution was construction of a permanent site. In October 2005, the Town of Mashpee voted to transfer a parcel of land to the Health Center for this purpose. Building on this generosity, the Health Center is undertaking a $5,250,000 campaign to build, furnish and equip a new 10,000 square foot facility.

Patients Served

Patient visits have grown ten-fold since our first year of operation in 1998 to more than 14,000 in fiscal year 2007. We accept an average of 150 new patients a month and have an active caseload of 5,500 patients.