October 16, 2012 -- After more than 37 years serving the Cornelius community, the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center is proud to announce the grand opening of the newly constructed Cornelius Wellness Center. This state-of-the-art facility will expand access to cutting edge health and wellness services to thousands in the community and help to revitalize downtown Cornelius.
Two exciting events will mark the occasion. The first will be held on Friday, October 19, 2012, beginning at 8:00 am. It features a program, tours of the Wellness Center, cooking demonstrations in the teaching kitchen, and a mariachi band. Speakers will include Representative Suzanne Bonamici; Dr. Bruce Goldberg, Oregon Health Authority; Gil Muñoz, Virginia Garcia; Councilor Kathryn Harrington, Metro; Mayor Jeffrey Dalin, City of Cornelius; Dr. Jenny Smythe, College of Optometry, Pacific University; Kathleen O’Leary, RN, MPH; and a Virginia Garcia patient. Following the opening activities, Virginia Garcia will host a health and resource fair offering free health screenings, community resources, entertainment and children’s activities from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm.
The second event, the first-ever Virginia Garcia Walk for Wellness, will be held on Saturday, October 20, 2012, beginning at 9:00 am. The two-mile walk begins and ends at the Wellness Center and features a route from Metro’s ¡Vámonos! Project, which seeks to raise awareness of great places to bike and walk for health, recreation and transportation in the community. Tours of the Wellness Center, chair massages, complimentary health checks, a small farmer’s market and a pumpkin patch are among the activities that will follow Saturday’s walk.
“The opening of the Cornelius Wellness Center is a milestone event in the 37 year journey of Virginia Garcia,” stated Gil Muñoz, CEO. “In fact, this beautiful facility brings to life the patient-centered health home that we’ve been developing for many years. We look forward to celebrating the realization of our vision with our partners and the community.”
The Cornelius Wellness Center was built to respond to the critical need for affordable comprehensive primary care in western Washington County and offers integrated primary care, behavioral health, dental health, vision health and outreach services along with a pharmacy and lab. It also features innovative space design that supports the medical team model and includes designated spaces for co-location of team members.
A “dream team scene” is how Virginia Garcia's co-medical director Dr. Laura Byerly refers to the new Center. “We hope to attract some of the best and brightest new providers out there to join us in offering integrated team-based care to our patients. Virginia Garcia is a place where they can make a measurable difference in the lives of their patients—and the Wellness Center brings it all together in one place.”
The Center also incorporates green technology and emphasizes the role of the environment as a determinant of health. The City of Cornelius, Metro, Verde, Centro Cultural, Adelante Mujeres, Jackson Bottom Wetlands and the Energy Trust of Oregon played key roles in its development. In addition to the $12 million Federal grant which launched the project, many private and public foundations, corporations and local businesses, and individuals, partnered with Virginia Garcia to cover the construction costs of the Center.
Virginia Garcia would like to thank the generous sponsors who made this celebration possible: Presenting Sponsors of the Walk for Wellness, Kaiser Permanente and Metro. 2012 Corporate Partner Program participants who made a year-long commitment to Virginia Garcia include: A to Z Wineworks / REX HILL, Estrella TV/KGW Media Group and Tuality Healthcare. Additional sponsors for the events include: Bremik Construction, McDonald Zaring Insurance, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, The Standard, Integra Telecom, PavelComm and U.S. Bank.
Both events take place on the Virginia Garcia Wellness Center campus located at 1151 N. Adair Street in Cornelius and everyone is welcome. Saturday’s farmer’s market will accept cash, debit, credit and EBT.
For more information about the Cornelius Wellness Center and Virginia Garcia, please visit www.virginiagarcia.org. For more information about the Walk for Wellness or to sponsor a walker or team, please visit walkforwellness.virginiagarcia.org.
