Stanislaus leaders say McHenry clinics won’t affect college area

Stanislaus County officials stressed Tuesday that two health clinics moving to the “Black Glass” building on McHenry Avenue are not for drug or alcohol rehabilitation.

The county Health Services Agency clinics will provide medical services mostly for patients in the Medi-Cal program.

Supervisors approved a $600,000 annual lease for the Health Services Agency’s Specialty and Rehabilitation clinics to use 20,000 square feet at 1524 McHenry Avenue, near Granger Avenue. Staff members said part of the space served as a veterans clinic before the Veterans Affairs health center opened on Oakdale Road in Modesto in 2013.

The clinics are expected to receive 23,000 visits total a year, about 15 percent of the Health Services Agency’s patient population. About 85 patients per day will use the clinics, said Mary Ann Lee, county health services director.

Terry Swehla of the College Area Neighborhood Alliance asked the board to delay action on the lease or drop the proposal. Swehla said the neighborhood, south of Briggsmore Avenue and west of McHenry, gets foot traffic from addicts using a methadone clinic on McHenry and suffers from the county issuing vouchers for motel lodgers.

“We carry the burden of what flows through our neighborhood,” Swehla said. The relocated county clinics may compound vehicle congestion on that stretch of McHenry, Swehla added.

County Chief Executive Officer Stan Risen said he understood Swehla’s concerns. The county stopped issuing temporary housing vouchers for one hotel that was condoning criminal activity, he said.

Supervisor Terry Withrow said the new clinic location should not create issues for the neighborhood.

The county will move the health clinics from the former county hospital on Scenic Drive. At present, the two clinics are in an outdated building that requires frequent repairs for leaky pipes and a broken elevator. In August, a failed electrical switch caused a major power outage at the health services complex.

Patty Hill Thomas, the county chief operations officer, said the relocated clinics will serve fewer patients than the former full-service veterans clinic on McHenry, so it should not create traffic problems. The “Black Glass” building has radiology and other medical services, and it’s close to Doctors Medical Center on Florida Avenue.

At the specialty clinic, more than half of the patients see orthopedic specialists and others receive medical care for ear, nose and throat problems; neurology; gastroenterology; ophthalmology; and other medical issues. Physical therapy, occupational therapy and wound care are provided at the rehabilitation clinic.

Some tenant improvements are needed at the 1524 McHenry building, for which the county will pay $603,303 annually under a 10-year lease. The county expects to move the clinics by year’s end.

Tuesday’s action also approved a $170,000 project to modernize the Family Medicine and Pediatrics Center at the Scenic Drive campus. The county will seek a consultant to work on a business and facilities plan for the Health Services Agency, which will make recommendations for housing administrative offices and health services.

Some of the occupied buildings at the Scenic campus were built in the early 1940s. Only the Specialty and Rehabilitation clinics are moving to the McHenry location. The Family Practice, Public Health and Immunization clinics, and the administrative offices will remain at the Scenic campus.

This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 4:28 PM with the headline "Stanislaus leaders say McHenry clinics won’t affect college area."