Long lines at the pharmacy; an urgent care clinic without a waiting room squeezed into a tight space on the third floor; storage overflowing with stockpiles of emergency supplies; patients waiting weeks for regular  annual visits with primary care doctor who are tied up by patients with more urgent conditions. Solving  these issues by creating more patient access is at the heart of Dorchester House’s building expansion project, aptly named “The Doctor Can See You NOW! Project” (“NOW! Project” for short). The NOW! Project expansion will create 17,000 square feet of new space – including 15 new exam rooms for primary care and urgent care. It will double the sizes of the pharmacy and the laboratory. This translates into a 20% increase in capacity – enabling Dot House to handle 22,000 more patient visits per year and access for 5,500 new patients.

True to the spirit of the stimulus funds, the NOW! Project will also provide a boost for the local economy in terms of new jobs. “In the short term we’ll hire over 50 people for the construction and once we have the space, we will permanently hire 22 new staff,” notes Ira Schlosser, Dot House’s Director of Planning and Community Affairs and staff coordinator for the expansion. The $11 million NOW! Project is on a tight schedule. After being awarded the $7 million in stimulus funds in December, 2009, we immediately launched into the work necessary in order to reach the December 2011 deadline for use of these funds. First, we engaged Bristol Consulting Group as our project manager. Focusing their business solely on health care, Bristol is highly experienced with expansions such as ours. Next, we solicited proposals from architects, and out of a very talented field we selected Spagnolo Gisness & Associates. And finally, after again soliciting proposals from a very prestigious pool of Construction Management companies, we signed Shawmut Design and Construction. We are thrilled to have this very capable team in place. “If everything goes smoothly we’ll break ground by the end of the summer,” says Mr. Schlosser. “The whole thing will take only 12-15 months to complete with minimal, if any, interruption in service.”

In addition, the NOW! Project will help Dot House expand upon the “Healthy Dorchester House” concept by providing space for a new Wellness Center. Patients will gain access to services such as yoga, massage therapy, and other various exercise classes and equipment.

With the $7 million in stimulus funds under our belt the expansion is moving ahead – at lightning speed. But the total project cost is $11 million so we need YOUR HELP! Visit our Donations page for more information about how you can get involved!