A ceremonial ribbon was cut Wednesday morning to officially open the doors of Mission's Community Health Centre (CHC)on Hurd Street.
The 27,000-square foot facility brings numerous health services and programs provided by Fraser Health under one roof. Services being offered at the CHC include public health, home health, mental health and substance use, an older adult clinic and a diabetes clinic.
"This is the first of its kind in Fraser Health and it will serve as a model across the region," said Colleen Hart, vice-president of clinical operations for the local health authority.
Offering programs in one location will improve care in the community, she added.
The CHC came out of the Mission Community Health Planning Project and was developed by Fraser Health, the Fraser Valley Regional Hospital District (FVRHD) and the District of Mission.
"The objective was to close the gap between people and health services," Hart explained. Two recommendations were put forward and the second part, the campus of care for seniors, is currently being built.
The FVRHD contributed $22 million to the $30-million project, said John Smith, vice- chair of the FVRHD. "We are thrilled to celebrate the completion of the CHC and look forward to seeing our investment in this new campus of care for seniors realized with improved health services for Mission and other Fraser Valley communities."
"We've come a long way," added Maple Ridge-Mission MLA Marc Dalton, noting there was a lot of concern in the community about health services in Mission.
The project, which broke ground a year ago, strengthens the community by providing jobs and supports families with health services closer to home, he added.
Mission Coun.Jenny Stevens has been involved with the project since its conception in 2008, and credits the previous two councils for doing a lot of the legwork.
"This centralization makes a lot of sense," she said.
This project demonstrates Fraser Health is "putting the right foot forward … and shows they care about Mission Memorial Hospital as much as the people of this community."
The campus of care for seniors is scheduled to open next spring.