Community HealthNet to Open New Medical Center

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. — The former Osco Drugstore at 61st and Broadway in Merrillville, will soon transform into the newest Community HealthNet medical center, which will comprise the northern half of the 16,000-square-foot building.

The Pangere Corporation, based in Gary, is leading the $600,000 construction project, which consists of demolition work, infrastructure improvements, form walls and drywall. The biggest challenge in the renovation is the plumbing because the nine exam rooms will need sinks, and this requires digging trenches to put plumbing in the floor, as reported by the Post Tribune.

This will be the fifth location for the nonprofit community-based health care organization, and it will replace the now-closed Merrillville location at 86th and Connecticut streets. Like the other locations, the center will provide primary care, pediatric care, obstetrics and family medicine and will be staffed with five to six people, including one medical doctor, nurse practitioners, certified nursing assistants and certified nurse midwives.

Community HealthNet provides comprehensive pediatric and adult medical services throughout Lake County, currently operating four centers: two in Gary, one in Hammond and one school-based center located at Calumet High School in Calumet Township.

Dr. Janet Seabrook, executive director of Community HealthNet, met with contractors to finalize renovation plans on Jan. 10. The project is slated for completion later this spring.

The expansion of the nonprofit organization coincides with the anticipation of the final stage of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which goes into effect in 2014 and states that all Americans will have access to affordable health insurance options. Middle and low-income families get tax credits to cover portions of the cost, while the Medicaid program will be expanded to cover more low-income Americans.

In order to accommodate these growing health care patients, the nonprofit organization is expanding its locations as a result. Its main location in Gary is currently 30,000 square feet.