Courtesy / The Dunham Group
The former firehouse, dating back a century, has been fitted up for medical use.
April 4, 2022
Community health center in Portland acquires 13th location
Courtesy / The Dunham Group
After a two-year search, Greater Portland Health found the right property to open its 13th site at 295 Park Ave. in Portland.
After a two-year search, the nonprofit Greater Portland Health found the right property to open its 13th site for its mission to serve vulnerable populations.
The nonprofit medical practice bought 295 Park Ave. in Portland from Firehouse Five LLC for $2.1 million.
Tom Moulton and Katie Allen from the Dunham Group and Sam Marinko from the Boulos Co. brokered the sale
The two-story 9,465-square-foot office building is a former firehouse dating back about a century.
“This building footprint is set up so perfectly that we only have to do minor renovations,” said Ann Tucker, Greater Portland Health’s’ chief executive officer. “It feels like it was meant to be.”
Marinko, who represented the buyer, said the seller is a dermatologist who had their own practice in the building for a time, then leased it for a decade or so to Maine Medical Center.
The site is adjacent to the Portland Seadogs' Hadlock Field and close to Maine Medical Center, I-295 and downtown Portland. The half-acre site includes 37 parking spaces.
Overcoming access barriers
Established in 2009 as the Portland Community Health Center, Greater Portland Health now serves over 12,600 people across our 12 locations in Portland, South Portland and Westbrook, according to it website.
A nonprofit corporation governed by a patient-majority board of directors, it’s designated as a Federally Qualified Health Center.
Federally Qualified Health Centers are federally funded community health centers that provide primary care services in underserved communities. As an FQHC, Greater Portland Health is committed to ensuring all members of the community have access to health services regardless of their ability to pay. It offers a sliding fee scale program and it accepts MaineCare, Medicare and commercial insurances. In addition to funding from the federal government, a significant part of its funding is revenue from patient visits. Currently, for every insured patient who receives care at Greater Portland Health, it is able to provide care to two people who do not have insurance.
Greater Portland Health averages 200 new patients registering for care each month.
Service site locations have been chosen to address transportation and access barriers as much as possible.
Growing the footprint
The first site, 180 Park Ave., is within walking distance of Portland’s most densely populated, low-income, underserved communities.
Health centers at the Riverton Park and Franklin Towers public housing sites were added in 2013 and 2014 to facilitate access to care for people living farther away from the Park Avenue location.
In January 2014, the nonprofit expanded its services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness, with a location at 63 Preble St.
In 2015, a location was added in South Portland at 100 Brickhill Ave., which allowed for improved access for the significant low-income population in that neighborhood separated from downtown Portland and difficult for pedestrians to access.
In addition, Greater Portland Health began operating health centers in the three Portland public high schools and King Middle School in 2016.
Greater Portland Health uses an integrated medical home practice model and employs physicians, nurse practitioners, and physicians assistants of various disciplines. The model includes a team of clinical social workers, clinical support staff, volunteer specialty providers in neurology, dermatology, orthopedics, cardiology, ophthalmology and endocrinology and clinical and administrative support staff including community health workers and financial assistance counselors.
In addition, GPH maintains partnerships with the area's hospitals, and local mental health and family service providers. Collaborations include working with the Greater Portland Refugee/Immigrant Health Care Collaborative and the Greater Portland Addiction Collaborative.
Other services, noted Tucker, include telehealth substance use programs with peer support specialist, and transportation assistance.
“You will always see a provider and not be denied care,” she added.
The majority-patient board of directors is designed to ensure patients’ voices are heard, she said.
Locations continued to open in recent years, including during the pandemic, said Tucker. School-based health centers are designed to address student health needs.
Fast turnaround
The nonprofit had been looking for an additional location for almost two years. Search parameters included being in Greater Portland and close to public transportation.
The nonprofit had started to look at Westbrook to see what was available at a price it could afford.
Marinko brought 295 Park Ave. to Tucker as soon as it hit the market.
“We were the very first showing,” Marinko said. “As soon as it was listed, we got in there very quickly. Ann was ready to pull the trigger as soon as we found the one, and this was the one. We put in an offer very quickly, which was important because there was other interest.”
The location is just a third of a mile from the nonprofit’s site at 180 Park Ave, which is at capacity, said Tucker.
The purchase was financed by Gorham Savings Bank.
The building is basically move-in ready, so little in the way of renovation is needed, she said. Fit-up will include reinstating some exam rooms, possibly redoing the plumbing, freshening up the paint and flooring, and eventually purchasing medical equipment and furniture depending on supply chain availability.
Investment in fit-up is expected to be at most $200,000, financed partially by Gorham Saving Bank and partially through the nonprofit’s cash reserves.
Maine Medical Center currently occupies the building through a lease. It’s expected that Maine Med will move at the end of May, giving Great Portland Health a couple of months to renovate, with the goal of moving in by late summer.
It will be Greater Portland Health’s 13th location.
The staff has grown over the past couple of years. At the beginning of pandemic, the nonprofit had 111 to 113 employees. That’s expected soon to be nearly 150, said Tucker.
The new location will mean hiring about 15 clinical and social workers over the coming half-year, she said.
“We’re very excited about 295 Park Ave.,” Tucker said.
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