Remodeled Carmichaels Clinic unveiled to the public
Various dignitaries gather outside the Carmichaels Clinic in Cumberland Township before a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house Monday morning to unveil the $1.9 million renovation project. (Photo by Mike Jones)
The changes to the remodeled Carmichaels Clinic鈥檚 exterior are quite stunning, while the interior looks like a modern medical clinic. (Photos by Mike Jones)
Mike Jones
Mike Jones
The Carmichaels Clinic鈥檚 new main wing has six examination rooms, including this one.
People gather in the Carmichaels Clinic鈥檚 waiting area while taking a tour of the remodeled medical facility during an open house Monday.
news@greenecountymessenger.com
Dr. Daniel Holt drove past the Carmichaels Clinic on Sunday night and thought about all of the major historical moments that have occurred around the world in the more than six decades since the location opened in 1961.
Yet, during that entire time the medical clinic along West George Street in Cumberland Township remained steadfast in its mission to provide health care to area residents, even if the building was showing its age.
鈥淚n the midst of all that change 鈥� the one thing that didn鈥檛 change was the care at this clinic,鈥� Holt said.
But the biggest change in the clinic鈥檚 history was unveiled to the public Monday showing off the $1.9 million renovation over the past 18 months that remodeled the exterior and transformed the medical space inside. Holt, who is the medical director for Centerville Clinics that oversees the Carmichaels location, noted that the medical staff never stopped working during the renovation, including offering care in mobile units since construction began in March 2022.
鈥淭he building is nice. The building is pretty,鈥� Holt said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 really the people who work in this building day after day that I鈥檓 thankful for.鈥�
Barry Niccolai, the executive director of Centerville Clinics, called the renovation both a 鈥渉umbling moment鈥� and 鈥渂old reflection鈥� of the organization鈥檚 vision for the future with the remodeled Carmichaels Clinic.
He added that patients entering through the clinic鈥檚 doors may be feeling scared or sad due to their medical ailments, so a comfortable environment will hopefully lift their spirits while they鈥檙e getting checkups or undergoing treatment.
鈥淭oday is significant for so many reasons,鈥� he said during Monday morning鈥檚 ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house. 鈥淲e鈥檝e literally transformed this building.鈥�
The changes to the exterior are quite stunning, while the interior looks like a modern medical clinic.
The new main wing has six examination rooms, a laboratory, a social worker office, work stations for medical assistants and individual offices for each of the three medical providers based at the location. There is also be a separate entrance and negative pressure room to treat patients with respiratory diseases after the COVID-19 pandemic illustrated the need for segregated areas in the clinic.
Meanwhile, the behavioral health area will include therapy rooms and a community room, while part of that wing will be constructed for the eventual expansion for a dental services department.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just the pretty shell,鈥� said Ken Kulak, who is president of Monongahela-based Kulak-George Architects that designed the remodeled clinic. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the things on the inside you don鈥檛 see.鈥�
That is expected to help the medical staff provide even better care for patients. Nancy Nelish, a receptionist at the clinic, said the renovation reconfigured the building to utilize spaces that were rarely used before. She has worked at the clinic for 20 years, so she was stunned by the clinic鈥檚 transformation when the staff came back into the building in late June after working out of mobile units on the property for more than a year.
鈥淓verything seems to be more of a flow than before,鈥� Nelish said of the layout. 鈥淥f course it鈥檚 nice to look at (and have) more space.鈥�
Nearly half the $1.9 million project was funded using $945,324 in American Rescue Plan Act money, with the remainder being paid for by Centerville Clinics.