NILES TOWNSHIP — For officials with the Cassopolis Family Clinic Network, Wednesday morning marked a momentous occasion as project leaders broke ground on a brand-new building for the Niles Community Health Center, at 1951 S. Oak St. in Niles Township.

Wednesday’s ceremony drew around 50 people to celebrate the project, which is anticipated to be under construction in the next couple of weeks. Numerous state, city and Niles Township leaders attended, including Sen. John Proos, township trustees, Mayor Nick Shelton and Mike McCauslin, the former Niles mayor, who is also a member of board of directors for the Cassopolis Family Network Clinic. 

Special for the ground breaking, multiple balloons decorated the fence and a large rendering of the medical clinic was on display.

While it may not look like much more than a gravel lot now, by fall of 2019, officials anticipate the roughly $8.5 million facility to be complete. The 31,500-square-foot facility will include 26 exam rooms and a drive-through pharmacy for patients. Behavioral health services will also be available and include psychiatry and substance abuse treatment. CCFN’s Obstetrics & Gynecology office in Niles will also transition to the new building.

Robert Feldman, board president of the CFCN, said the land at 1951 S. Oak St., which formerly was the site of the Eastgate Shopping Plaza, was purchased about a year ago. He said it was exciting to see the project move forward Wednesday morning.

“Wow, we are finally doing this,” Feldman said. “This has been a long process that was not taken lightly. After we stressed the need, it is going to come to fruition. Hopefully, in about a year, we will be adding a ribbon cutting.”

The Niles Community Health Center currently operates at 24 N. St. Joseph St., but has seen an increasing number of patients. The facility currently serves more than 3,200 patients. To keep up with demand and better serve those who need health care, Feldman said the new building would be meeting a necessity. 

“It’s going to serve a need in this community and we are proud as punch to do it,” he said.

Others who addressed the crowd Wednesday morning emphasized the need for the medical facility in Niles.

“There is great need in this community for access to affordable health care,” said Mary Middleton, the CEO for CCFN. “There’s about 14,000 people [in Niles] who are either uninsured or rely on Medicaid or the Medicare programs to pay for their services and those are often the folks who have the hardest time finding a physician.”

With a number of low income residents residing in the Niles community, Middleton said this was a need the clinic hoped to address.

McCauslin added to this, saying that the clinic provides healthcare to people without regard to socioeconomic status.

“We accept Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance and also incorporate a sliding payment scale for those who do not have the support of our government insurance program,” McCauslin said. “The construction of this facility furthers our mission to provide quality care to all.”

McCauslin cited numerous other benefits, including the edition of 20 more employees to the clinic, who will be hired to work with the current medical staff. 

“Our philosophy is that healthcare should be available and affordable to all,” McCauslin said.