It’s moving day for the Albrecht Free clinic which is relocating from the lower level of Spaulding Clinical on Oak Street to the former Verre Young Eye Clinic/Mathis Music, 908 W. Washington Street.
“Local 2025 West Bend Fire Department will move us,” Jim Strachota, executive director of the Albrecht Free Clinic said.
On Saturday crews were busy cleaning the office space and Strachota provided a behind-the-scenes tour of the interior layout of the new facility.
“This is the waiting room and right here Kewaskum artist Dan Gerhartz will be doing a painting for our donor wall,” Strachota said.
With the move Albrecht Clinic will be adding free dental service. Strachota walked from room to room pointing out the LED lighting, an X-ray station and hookups for water. “Some of our equipment has been donated,” said Strachota. “The cost to do this, for dental alone, has been $185,000.”
Donations and community support have been a blessing for the Albrecht Clinic. “On Friday we received a $300,000 donation from Froedtert,” Strachota said. “That gets us back because we put all our capital and all our reserves into this building.”
On June 18 the clinic’s offer to purchase the property on W. Washington Street was accepted. “For the first time in our 19-year history, we have a place we can call our own,” Strachota said. “This location really fits our need and if everything goes according to plan we will have three full medical rooms and three full dental rooms.”
Strachota said the location of the building “will really be ideal” because W. Washington Street has a high-visibility factor. “It just really feels good and the size fits the community need,” he said of the 3,000-square-foot building.
Since its inception in 1996 the Albrecht Free Clinic has moved to several locations, lived in cramped quarters, provided medical care off a cart and lived from short-term lease to short-term lease.
The clinic will remain open at the Oak Street location while the move to the new facility is in progress.
Watch for an update on the opening of the new facility at http://www.washingtoncountyinsider.com 3