New Elgin medical facility to open in fall

The Visiting Nurse Association of Fox Valley will break ground next week on a 20,000-square-foot facility in Elgin, making it the organization's second in the city and doubling its ability to provide health care services. It is expected to be open by fall.

"There has been an increasing demand for services in the community," said marketing director Amy Downing. The new building will have 24 exam rooms - two more rooms than VNA's existing facility on Wing Street.

The Wing Street facility sees about 8,000 patients a year, Downing said, and she hopes that number will double with the new building. The VNA hopes to include a pharmacy in the new building, Downing said.

The VNA was founded in Aurora in 1918 to provide medical care to the poor and expanded into Elgin. Downing said the facilities help people from all over northern Illinois and are always open to anyone. It now is a network of physicians, nurses and health care specialists, including therapists, registered dietitians and medical social workers, according to its website. Services include general medicine, free health screenings, dentistry and immunizations. It also offers home care, house calls and hospice to patients in need. The facilities accept Medicare, Medicaid and most primary insurance plans.

The association has 300 employees, said Downing. And officials already have started looking for more personnel for the new facility.

The employees of the VNA Health Care will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the new center at 2 p.m. Wednesday at its location, 801 Villa St. The ceremony will be the official kickoff for the new facility.