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A new 15,000-square-foot Family HealthCare Network (FHCN) clinic is currently under construction in Hanford.

The Hanford Planning Commission approved the conditional use permit at its April meeting, and construction began this spring.

"Our anticipated opening day is currently slated near the tail end of 2023," said Kerry Hydash, FHCN president and CEO, who was asked if the new facility will replace or expand on the services offered at the health network's current Hanford facility.

"Our new health center on 12th and West Hayden represents an expansion of services that will help to meet the growing demand for quality health care in Kings County," she responded. "Our mission is to provide quality health care for all, and that includes health care services options that are easily accessible. We continue to learn from our new and returning patients throughout Kings County about the health care needs that are most important to them.

"While we are still working to finalize the specifics of what those services will include based on the needs assessment, we're confident in our ability to fortify each patient's health care needs on our very first day," she added.

The new facility will be in southwest Hanford.

"The location of this new health center has been strategically chosen to fortify the communities of Hanford and Kings County as a whole, but much like our first Hanford health center, we recognize there is tremendous value in having a health center located near main roadways like Highway 198 and the always busy 12th Avenue," said Hydash.

FHCN has no current plans for future clinics in other Kings County communities.

"Any consideration for future expansion throughout Kings County is dictated first and foremost by the patients we serve," explained Hydash. "As it stands right now, our new health center is intended to meet the needs that Kings County residents have asked for most frequently."

Instead, FHCN is looking to Tulare County for its next round of projects.

Tulare County Projects

At its June 6th meeting, the Tulare County Board of Supervisors approved a request from FHCN that the California Municipal Finance Authority issue up to $40 million in tax-exempt bonds for the following four projects:

• Approximately $3 million will be used to expand FHCN's current clinic at 12586 Avenue 408 in Orosi by about 9,000 square feet, adding five medical exam rooms, four dental rooms, a larger lobby, a new breakroom, meeting space and a larger pharmacy;

• About $3 million will be used to construct an 8,000- square-foot health center on River Island Drive in Springville, which will replace its existing leased facility and will include ten medical exam rooms and two dental rooms;

• About $5 million will be used to construct a new two-story, 22,000-square-foot administrative building at 409 N. Bridge St. in Visalia, to house about 100 employees and provide space for FHCN's information department and call center; and

• Approximately $9 million will be used to fund the purchase/renovation or construction of a 25,000-square-foot building at 510 E. School St., Visalia, which will be the service site for FHCN's Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE Program).

"We are thankful for the approval, but it is only another step in the process for FHCN issuing the debt," said Hydash. "The county approval provides FHCN access to tax-exempt interest rates from lenders, but it does not provide the financing or any guarantees for the debt."

A timeline for the projects was presented at the meeting.

The major expansion of the current Cutler-Orosi health center is expected to be completed in June 2024.

The Springville health center is also expected to be done in June 2024.

The Visalia Bridge Street Administration construction, which began in late 2022, is expected to be completed in November.

The Visalia PACE project, which started in late 2022, is expected to be done in December.

"Our consideration for a private placement debt issuance began due to the large number of construction and renovation projects currently underway by FHCN," said Hydash. "Discussions with a placement agent started in late 2022 in lieu of doing multiple individual bank loans for these projects."