During its 40th anniversary celebration on April 27, Axis Community Health announced plans for renovating a recently purchased 24,000 sq. ft. building into a new health facility slated to open in 2014. Axis CEO Sue Compton described the year-long search for a suitable site before settling on 5925 W. Las Positas Blvd. in Pleasanton. Axis will be renovating the building to include approximately 24 exam rooms, three procedure rooms, mental health counseling rooms, patient education space, a pharmacy, and other ancillary services. The new location offers ample parking and is readily accessible by public transportation.
“Axis Community Health has been experiencing rapid growth in the need for services over the past few years,” explained Compton. More than 400 new medical patients are coming to Axis for primary care each month, and market studies indicate this trend will continue due to three factors: the growing population in the Tri-Valley (a 22% increase in 10 years); the economic downturn that has left more Tri-Valley families in need of access to affordable, quality primary care; and changes in the healthcare delivery system.
Axis’ two medical clinics are operating at full capacity (the main site on Railroad Ave. in Pleasanton, and the satellite clinic in Livermore). Axis presently has 10,000 medical patients and expects to serve 20,000 patients by 2014. Axis sees expanding service capacity as the only way to meet this huge need and anticipates this project, which will cost $11 million, as the best means for gaining the exam rooms necessary to increase medical service provision. All of Axis’ present service sites will remain in operation. Along with adding capacity, the project also allows Axis to achieve its goals of fully-integrating medical and mental health services as part of its medical home care delivery model.
The announcement added to the festivities for the 130 people gathered at Poppy Ridge in Livermore to celebrate Axis’ 40th anniversary. The event, sponsored by the Foundation for Axis Community Health, was attended by the people whose caring commitment has made providing health services to all Tri-Valley residents possible through the decades.
Leading the list was Supervisor Scott Haggerty who was honored for his steadfast dedication to affordable, quality care for Tri-Valley residents. Axis board vice-chair Mark Eaton, in presenting the award to Haggerty, lauded his efforts in support of Tri-Valley’s neediest.