DANVILLE — It was a big year for Carle and Christie Clinic at the Riverfront beginning operations in Danville.
“We were excited to open Christie Clinic at the Riverfront this year. We consolidated two of our Danville locations into one 20,000-square-foot facility, which united our team and services under one roof. Our patients and caregivers have the added convenience of an on-campus SurgiCenter. We are excited for the opportunity this facility offers to continue to grow with more providers and services,” said Kenneth Bilger, Chief Executive Officer, Christie Clinic.
“We have served the Danville and Vermilion County area for a long time and look forward to continued service in this region,” Bilger said.
Christie Clinic physicians and staff from their former North Vermilion site began seeing patients at Christie Clinic at The Riverfront on Jan. 30.
Those patients included for convenient care, family medicine, foot and ankle surgery, laboratory, nephrology, orthopedics and sports medicine, pain and rehabilitation, physical therapy and radiology.
Moving of departments continued into February, as staff at Christie Clinic in Danville on Logan began seeing patients at Christie Clinic at The Riverfront on Feb. 6.
Those patients were for cardiology, OB/GYN, urology, dermatology, dietician, general surgery and vein and vascular.
The new medical building doubled the size of Christie Clinic’s existing North Vermilion Street location.
Christie Clinic officials said they have room to grow.
Christie Clinic’s facility is across the parking lot from the new Carle at The Riverfront, 516 W. Madison St.
Carle had its community open house for viewing its new facility on Feb. 9 this year.
Just like with Christie Clinic, the approximately $70 million Carle at The Riverfront consolidated services that were at Carle Danville on Fairchild Street and Carle Danville on Vermilion Street. It hosts about 250 staff members at its new location.
Carle at The Riverfront consists of medical offices and an ambulatory surgery center on more than 152,000 square feet and 17 acres of land.
Construction also has wrapped up on buildings at the medical campus at Gilbert and North streets.
Carle officials have stated, “One of the key objectives with the Carle at the Riverfront project was to spur economic and community development in Danville to help improve the social determinants of health. This retail center will provide amenities to the Carle at The Riverfront patients, team members and the community.”
The eastern building houses Carle Medical Supply and Sleep Lab and the southern building is for leasable retail space.
In June, Carle officials also launched The Riverfront Community Garden at Logan Avenue, Madison and Chandler streets.
The community garden will support several food insecurity initiatives in Vermilion County, educate students on the benefits of growing their own food, strengthen community partnerships and further develop the medical campus.
The garden project will be working with the Carle Mobile Food Pantry and St. James United Methodist Church’s Food Pantry to distribute products. The Vermilion County Community Health Collaborative also is helping build another garden by the soon to open Heavenly Square Grocery store off Bowman Avenue and Voorhees Street.
Dr. Tim Meneely, Carle medical director for Vermilion and Iroquois counties, said this year that, “It’s gone very well we think,” of patients coming to the riverfront, west downtown Danville location.
Communication has improved with all specialties and primary care in the same building, he said.
Meneely said there are a lot of people “very engaged and doing very good work” in health care in Vermilion County. There also are a lot of people willing to volunteer and help on projects.
“There’s a tremendous amount of effort and goodwill here,” he said.