GREENFIELD — A massive donation and a thoughtful dedication were among the surprises at the recent grand opening ceremony for the newly expanded Greenfield Clinic.
Residents, community leaders and elected officials gathered on a Friday afternoon to celebrate the new Greenfield facility, built by Mee Memorial Healthcare System, which also operates Mee Memorial Hospital and three other medical clinics in King City.
“This is an exciting day that we’re adding the Greenfield Clinic expansion to the Mee Memorial Healthcare System family,” said Mee Memorial CEO Michael Hutchinson. “It’s another progression of expanding the healthcare system, in terms of our services, our clinics and our hospital.”
The Sept. 27 event also featured remarks from local and state officials, including Sen. Anna Caballero (D-Salinas), who praised the clinic’s expansion as “an investment in the community.”
“It gives me great pleasure to be here today as we celebrate the opening of this clinic that is going to be so incredibly important for the city of Greenfield,” Caballero said.
Other speakers included Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez, Greenfield Mayor Pro Tem Yanely Martinez and Councilmember Angela Untalon on behalf of Mayor Lance Walker, Assemblymember Robert Rivas Field Representative Ricardo Estrada and Greenfield Clinic staff members.
“There’s a famous saying, ‘We’re the ones we’ve been waiting for,’ and this is proof of that,” said Lopez, who lives in Greenfield. “We did this as a community.”
Greenfield Clinic is one of the busiest health centers in South County, providing care to more than 2,000 patients every month. The expansion and renovation project allows for an additional 800 to 1,200 patients to be seen monthly, helping to meet the community’s growing demand for medical care.
Designed by Hibser-Yamauchi Architects of Los Angeles, the expansion added nearly 6,000 square feet to the original facility’s 7,000-square-foot building at 467 S. El Camino Real. The new clinic now offers primary care, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology (OB-GYN), podiatry and lab services, with radiology to be added in coming months. A nurse practitioner is also available for patients.
The project’s total cost amounted to nearly $4 million, of which more than $2.9 million came from grants.
Over the past year, Mee Memorial Hospital Foundation committed to raise additional money for the construction, and the exact amount raised from individual donors was revealed at Friday’s ceremony.
“We have just a small check,” Foundation President John Greathouse said jokingly, before the audience erupted in applause after seeing the check’s amount for $750,000.
With the Foundation’s contribution, Mee Memorial is now just shy of about $275,000 needed to cover the clinic’s entire construction cost.
“We’re grateful for the Foundation and for their efforts in raising funds for this,” said Michael Howard, chairman of the Mee Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees. “We are a little bit shy, but that’s OK because the Board years ago reserved some money for the construction of this. … It appears that 100 percent of the cost of this facility will be covered by the generous contributions of our community, and no operating funds will be used from Mee Memorial.”
Howard gave special recognition to local residents Albert and Donna Oliveira, who “spent countless hours convincing people that this was a good investment in our community,” he said. Part of the clinic’s capital campaign was dedicated to pay tribute to the Oliveiras, and a total of $300,000 was raised to recognize them.
“Both Al and Donna have dedicated countless hours over the years for the betterment of Mee Memorial,” Howard said. “In view of their contributions to Mee Memorial and in acknowledgement of the capital campaign funds raised in their honor, it is my great privilege to declare and dedicate this newly expanded Greenfield Clinic as the Al and Donna Oliveira Greenfield Clinic.”
A giant banner was then unveiled across the new facility that read, “Albert and Donna Oliveira, Greenfield Mee Memorial Healthcare System.”
“I want to thank all of you who were so very, very generous,” Donna Oliveira told the crowd. “… Thank you all for coming and honoring me and Al today.”
The special ceremony ended with a ribbon cutting and tours of the new facility, which officially opened to the public on Aug. 28.
