Our rebuilt Imperial Valley Homan Center will reopen to patients in September, a year after our facility was destroyed by a fire.
We finished construction on our health center thanks to our generous supporters and dedicated staff. During the rebuild, we set up a temporary health center in the parking lot of our property where we provided all services.
“We continued to offer all reproductive health services including abortion care in a smaller, temporary facility in order to meet the needs of our community,” said Melissa Martinez, Health Center Manager for the Imperial Valley Homan Center.
The Imperial Valley health center is the most accessible for many people traveling to California from out of state to get abortion care.
“There are a lot of people who are excited for us to re-open our permanent center because they know that we provide expert care in clean and modern facilities,” Martinez said.
In addition to being able to serve more people, more effectively, the rebuilt center with 8 patient care rooms is home to a host of exciting changes, including:
• Enhanced security to protect against vandalism, trespassers, fires, and bad actors (the center is next door to a “crisis pregnancy center,” and every extra security measure helps)
• Upgraded power system that will increase safety and cost efficiency
• Improved insulation to keep the center cool—critical for an area where temperatures can reach 120 degrees!
Our administrative office adjacent to the health center, which was also destroyed, will be available again to our community engagement, education, and advocacy staff. Just before the fire, Planned Parenthood expanded its administrative offices on this site. This expanded area was the only portion of the building that was not damaged during the fire.
“We will have a much larger room where we can host phone banking, community engagement events and provide our educational programs,” said Alberto Galvan, Community Engagement and Education Manager in Imperial County.
The team was able to work remotely during the rebuild and continue their community engagement and education efforts.
“One good thing that came from this experience is the Education Department’s increased collaboration with Melissa (our Health Center Manager),” Galvan said. “We have supported her and she has supported us, especially during this time. That was a great experience coming from this tragedy.”
Tags: