HILMAR – Lumira Healthcare welcomed about 100 community partners and patients – in addition to Rep. Adam Gray (D-Merced) – for the grand reopening Wednesday of its newly renovated center at 7970 Lander Ave.
Taking place during National Health Center Week, the event showcased the first Lumira Healthcare clinic – formerly Livingston Community Health – to be fully rebranded under the nonprofit’s new name and identity.
“The biggest part of our reopening is that we’re recognizing National Health Center Week, and today’s focus is about our patients and how do we bring people back in,” said Lumira Healthcare CEO Leslie Abasta. “We thought that doing a reopening of our site would be a good place for us to start. Livingston was once the only location we had – we had a been one site only since 1970 – and Hilmar became our second location in 2012. So, we’re incredibly excited about today.”
Gray, who was accompanied Wednesday by House Democratic Caucus chairman Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Redlands), praised the work of Lumira and organizations like it.
“This is an important facility for the community of Hilmar, which needs health care,” said Gray, in his first term representing the 13th Congressional District after serving 10 years in the state Assembly. “And that’s what Lumira seeks to provide. It’s a great organizational with great people. The success of not just this facility, but all facilities like it throughout the Valley are so important to the future of health care.
“We’ve fought this fight my entire time in public office. Whether it’s trying to bring a medical school to UC Merced, whether it’s making sure our community clinics can be open more hours, this fight will continue. And, frankly, the cuts in Washington to health care dollars haven’t helped.”
With additional Lumira locations in Turlock, Modesto, Hughson, Waterford, Merced, and Delhi, Aguiar said that clinics in small towns like Hilmar can have an impact in different parts of the state and even the nation.
“Lumira Healthcare does so much for this community and Adam Gray has been such a huge supporter of the community health care models,” said Aguilar. “And in serving this community and ensuring that rural health care is front and center of a national agenda, I wanted to come and see it for myself. It’s important that Washington D.C. takes notice of the work that is going on here in the Valley. Adam has been uplifting that work each and every day.”
Abasta agreed with Aguilar’s assessment the potential for larger impact.
“We’re locally sensitive to the folks that are here, and we strategically place ourselves in places where people couldn’t otherwise get access,” said Abasta. “If you look at all 10 of our locations, you’ll see that between Merced and Hilmar, there’s also Delhi; we have a school-based health center in Livingston and a very large campus in Livingston. The point is to be where it’s easy for people to get to.”
Following the event at Lumira Healthcare, Gray, Aguilar and members of their teams made the short trip up the street to Lander Avenue and Geer Road to recognize work that has been done on a collaborative infrastructure project that Gray has championed over the years. Gray also met with members of the Hilmar Unified School District.
