DOUBLING DOWN ON HEALTH
Thundermist Health Center completes major expansion of Woonsocket branch
WOONSOCKET – Thundermist Health Center on Friday celebrated the completion of a two-year-long, $7 million expansion that doubled the amount of medical space for the delivery of primary and behavioral healthcare services.
With help from patients and staffers, Thundermist CEO Jeanne LaChance marked the occasion by snipping a ceremonial ribbon in a new intake room – part of the 25,000-square foot expansion of the community medical clinic at 450 Clinton St.
Some two dozen members of the medical community and other dignitaries attended, including Landmark Medical Center President Michael Souza, City Human Services Director Linda Plays and Municipal Liaison Paulette Hamilton, from Lt. Gov. Daniel McKee’s office.
The project saw Thundermist take over space on the first floor of the cavernous, two-story building that had previously been occupied by the state Department of Human Services. Previously, Thundermist occupied just a tiny, hallway-sized portion of the first floor, but now it occupies the entire building. About 50,000 square feet in all is devoted to healthcare delivery services.
“It means better access to care for our patients,” said LaChance. “They can come in and get the services they need.”
Longtime Thundermist patient Pauline Ridlon gave the renovations – and her caregivers – her personal seal of approval.
“It’s huge, but it’s warm,” she said. “You walk in here and you feel like you’re part of the family.”
The renovations were financed, in part, with a $1 million grant from the federal Health Resources Services Administration, as well as philanthropic support from the Champlin Foundations and the United Way. Washington Trust also financed a portion of the project, designed by Vision 3 Architects. Bowerman Associates was the general contractor.
The project is mostly com- plete, with workers continuing to tidy up loose ends in the last few days.
“Even as of last night, the signs just went up,” said LaChance.
The cost of the project includes new sidewalks and the refurbishing of the parking lot – work that won’t take place until spring, she said.
Since it was founded 45 years ago, Thundermist has seen a steady expansion in demand for services, with about 22,000 patients who visited a collective 119,904 times in 2017. That represents a growth in patient volume of about 40 percent in the last decade for Thundermist, which operates with a budget of roughly $50 million a year. About 60 percent of the budget is driven by “service revenue,” which means it comes from Medicaid, other insurance providers who cover the cost of care, and direct patient fees. The rest comes from charitable resources and government grants, both state and local, according to LaChance.
“In the last three years we have doubled in size and capacity,” said Dr. Sapna Chowdry, Thundermist medical director and a 13-year veteran of the non-profit clinic. “We have just evolved into this beautiful place that our patients can call their medical home.”
But Chowdry said the mission at Thundermist isn’t just to grow, but to provide patients with easily accessible, quality healthcare. She also emphasized that Thundermist plays a vital role as a stopgap in the wider social safety net, matching clients with referrals for services that reach beyond healthcare, whether the patient needs food or a bed in a homeless shelter.
If someone comes in looking for help with substance abuse, she said, Thundermist will try to connect that individual with therapeutic help the very same day.
“We don’t just treat our patients for acute medical problems,” said Chowdry. “We also help to address obstacles that may be preventing patients from achieving better health.”
Although Thundermist considers the Clinton Street site the flagship, it operates two other clinics in Wakefield and West Warwick, which is also undergoing renovations. Collectively, the organization logged about 220,000 patient visits in 2017. CVS Health also maintains an in-house pharmacy at the Clinton Street location, and Thundermist also operates residency programs in psychiatric nursing and nurse practitioner.
Contrary to a popular perception, Thundermist isn’t just a clinic that exclusively serves the poor and underprivileged, according to LaChance. She said Thundermist accepts patients from all income demographics with any type of insurance – or none at all.
“Anybody can come here,” said LaChance, who thinks of Thundermist as the “ER for patient care. You walk in our doors and we’ll take care of you.”