RICHMOND, Va. — A sprawling 25,000-square-foot office building at 24 East Cary Street is currently under construction to add medical services for Richmond’s underserved population.
Daily Planet Health Services gave CBS 6 an exclusive tour of what will be the East Cary Health Center.
The facility, forecasted to open in early 2025, will add to the existing clinic and pharmacy on West Grace Street in Richmond.
The organization purchased the property near South 1st Street in August 2023.
The building once served as the home of Senior Connections which moved to 1300 Semmes Avenue.
Brent Mast, Daily Planet’s chief administrative officer, said about two years ago they identified they needed more space to serve underserved individuals throughout the Richmond region including those experiencing homelessness and housing instability, living in or around public housing, and/or living with HIV.
“We saw the population of the homeless and the folks that we serve continuing to increase. Our board saw that we needed to continue to do more,” Mast said.
Daily Planet’s Director of Development Sarah Tunner said it was fitting that the space will remain as a non-profit and continue to help the area’s growing senior homeless population.
“The elderly or the older homeless population is one of the largest components of that population from an increasing perspective,” Tunner explained.
Construction crews are in the process of renovating the building to add eight dental chairs, six medical exam rooms, and offices for supportive services.
Their focus is to complete the first-floor renovations to welcome clients in by early 2025.
“When we found that this location was available we immediately knew this was the one that we had to have, so that we could end up providing greater access to dental care, in particular,” Mast stated. “This is going to allow us to double our actual services.”
Mast said the additions will allow them to offer 6,000 more dental visits and add 2,400 more patients.
Mast and Tunner highlighted that the facility will house Virginia’s first dental lab owned and operated by a nonprofit.
The lab will be open to nonprofits across Virginia to save money and time. For example, they will spend $50 to create dentures in-house versus a $500 price tag from a third party.
“When the adult dental Medicaid benefit went into action in 2021 there are about 750,000 Virginians that gained access to a benefit they didn't have previously,” Tunner explained.
They’re asking for donations from the public to help them complete the first phase of their project. The campaign is called “Give $24 to #24 East Cary Street in ’24.”
“Your support of our annual fund helps keep our doors open, your support of our capital campaign will help us open new doors," according to the group's website.
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