Big things were happening in Michigan City on Tuesday, April 25. Members of Larson-Danielson Construction, Ivy Tech Community College, and HealthLinc came together for an emotional Beam Signing ceremony, a fun and heartfelt way to celebrate the construction of HealthLinc’s brand-new clinic in Michigan City.
As everyone signed the final beam needed to complete the clinic’s structure and watched the Larson-Danielson crew put it in place, it became clear that HealthLinc’s new clinic is not just a building, but rather a symbol of unity and a growing community.
Planning for the new HealthLinc clinic began in November 2021 when HealthLinc CEO Beth Wrobel realized that in order to better serve the Michigan City community, change was necessary. She reached out to Larson-Danielson Construction, whose team was eagerly on board.
“The HealthLinc team has been great to work with. It’s nice getting to work on a project like this in the community knowing that I’m a part of something that’s going to help make people’s lives better here in Michigan City,” said David Merkel, Larson-Danielson vice president.
Facet Architecture, Larson-Danielson’s sister company, developed a modern yet efficient design for the new community health center. In 2022, HealthLinc acquired the property for the new facility, and construction started almost immediately. Watching the final beam get put in place was the perfect opportunity for everyone involved to reflect on the positive impact this project has had and will continue to have on the community.
The new clinic will offer all kinds of new services such as medical, dental, behavioral health, optometry, chiropractic, podiatry, obstetrics, and a full-service pharmacy. Not to mention, there will also be addiction services, a medical-legal partnership, health insurance enrollment assistance, and a community outreach team. All these services will allow HealthLinc to improve the community’s health in a way like never before.
“Here at HealthLinc our mission is to serve and improve the health of our communities one patient at a time, but in the location we’re at now we’re kind of at that point where we can't grow and do much anymore. The new building is really going to be a one-stop shop which will greatly improve people’s health here in our community,” said Wrobel.
Not only will the new building immeasurably improve the community’s health, but it will also improve the community’s education. Because the new clinic is located right behind Ivy Tech’s campus, HealthLinc decided to partner with Ivy Tech and create a “learning lab” for students. Through this partnership, students will gain more hands-on learning and be better prepared to enter the healthcare workforce.
“I’m excited that we’ll have a resource right here in our backyard. Our role in the career link program is to build up the existing workforce and bring more individuals into Michigan City’s workforce. I’m thrilled to have a new place to offer more education and opportunities for our community. I’m sure this will translate into many good things for Ivy Tech, for HealthLinc, and for Michigan City as a whole,” said Gina Alber, employer consultant for Ivy Tech.
Mayor Duane Parry sure seems to think it will. He came out to watch everyone sign the beam, and couldn’t contain his happiness to see members of the community working together to make Michigan City an even better place.
“Ivy Tech and HealthLinc’s new partnership is going to be positive, nothing but positive for the community,” said Parry.
Ultimately, the day revealed how much this new building means to the growth and strengthening of the community. The current hope is to have the new clinic completed sometime next January, and everyone can’t wait for that day to finally come.
“It’s going to be a game changer for the community, for our patients, and for our employees,” said Wrobel.
HealthLinc is grateful to the Larson-Danielson and Facet Architecture team for helping them turn their dream of a healthier Michigan City into a reality. It’s amazing what can happen when people unite with a common purpose and HealthLinc’s new clinic is a perfect example.
“Larson-Danielson has been a great partner of ours for a very long time. Having someone who knows what we want and what works best in healthcare design is such a game changer. They’ve done such a good job and it’s been great,” said Wrobel.
To learn more about Larson-Danielson Construction, visit https://www.ldconstruction.com/.