On March 25, Howard Brown Health celebrated the groundbreaking of its new facility in the Northalsted area with speeches from the organization's leaders and local government representatives.
"We're so excited about the beautiful building … but it's really not about the brick and mortar, it's about the services," said Howard Brown President/CEO David Ernesto Munar. "It is about the healing, affirming, transformative care that will serve the community for generations to come."
The new $44-million clinicwhich will be at 3501 N. Halsted St.will house Howard Brown's first North Side dental practice.
The new building will also provide additional space for primary care appointments, walk-in sexual and reproductive healthcare, and behavioral health services, according to Howard Brown Health's website. Munar said the organization is also working on a similar project located on the South Side.
The five-story, 71,000-square-foot facility is set to open in 2023, the Chicago Sun Times reported.
"Extending healthcare and dental care is basic to America," said U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), who attended the event. 'When we do it in a professional way, in a respectful way, we make this a better, stronger nation and a more inclusive nation."
U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, Illinois Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, and Chicago Ald. James Cappleman and Tom Tunney were among those attending the event.
The new location is designed to serve 23,000 patients annually while the current facilitywhich has been open for 50 yearssees 7,500 patients each year, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
"We have outgrown our current space on Halsted, with almost no capacity for new patients," said Jared Lewis, the executive vice chair of Howard Brown Health's board of directors. "With increasing demand for our unique patient-centered clinical care, we see a critical need to expand our footprint and our impact."