Naples clinic for the uninsured plans 3-story pathology building. Why it matters
Neighborhood Health Clinic is at it again adding services for patient ease.
The nonprofit that provides medical and dental care to uninsured working adults in Collier County plans to add a three-story building to its campus at 88 12th Street N. for pathology services.
The clinic, which had 12,000 patient visits in 2022, has been working on the plan for quite some time and will have a partnership with a local pathology group to oversee the services, according to Keith Maples, the clinic’s chief development officer.
The goal is to have laboratory test results the same day when possible so patients can avoid having to take time off from work again, and get docked pay, to come back for the results and medications, he said.
The plan includes higher-end equipment for more advanced pathology testing, such as molecular pathology, where specimens now are often sent out of the area for results, he said.
Parking issue resolved
A critical issue for adding the building was addressing a shortage of parking that would result at the campus because the pathology building would reduce the number to 121 spaces from a requirement of 146 spaces.
The Naples City Council recently agreed to waive $1 million that the clinic was faced paying for the shortage in the city’s “payment in lieu of parking” program for commercial entities in the downtown zoning district.
The city council agreed to waive the payment because the pathology building is not adding walk-in traffic or bringing more cars to the clinic campus.
Leslie Lascheid, chief executive officer, said in a statement that the council’s decision will help the clinic deliver necessary services to those in need.
“As we look to construct the pathology building, I think of my parents’ vision of incorporating all the services our patients deserve within our campus,” she said, referring to the clinic’s late founders, Dr. William and Nancy Lascheid. “We are so close to fulfilling my parents’ dream. Our community continues to make a difference and care for those less fortunate.”
What’s the timeline?
The 11,838-square-foot pathology building will be built at the corner of Central Avenue and 12th Street North with a groundbreaking likely in April, Maples said.
A major gift of $2.5 million was made two years ago from William and Candy Raveis, he said. William Raveis founded William Raveis Real Estate in 1974 in Connecticut.
More: Neighborhood Health Clinic wraps up multiyear expansion to improve health of working poor
More: Nancy Lascheid fulfilled her mission at Neighborhood Health Clinic
Neighborhood is not doing a capital campaign for the construction cost of $4 million to $4.5 million.
“We have funded the building,” Maples said. “We finished fundraising six months ago.”
The plan is to contract with a local pathology group to oversee the pathology services that will include running tests for the group’s own clients and the clinic’s clients.
Because specimens will be collected at the clinic or at medical practices, there will not be added car or foot traffic of patients coming to the building. That was a crucial element for the city’s decision to waive the $1 million payment, along with the clinic’s mission of serving needy residentst.
The pathology group has not been named yet because contract negotiations are not finalized. The pathology group will have its dozen pathologists on site on a rotating basis.
The partnership with a pathology group will be a similar arrangement to what the clinic has now with Millennium Physician Group, which oversees imaging services done at the clinic.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Neighborhood Health Clinic adding pathology services for fast lab tests
