On February 25, 2021, Merrill Thomas, President and CEO of Providence Community Health Centers, was featured on the opinion page of the Providence Journal with a submission entitled "Choosing to expand during the pandemic." It details how PCHC chose to grow over the past two years to serve the community despite the challenges posed by the COVID pandemic.

You can read the text of the op-ed below:

Choosing to expand during the Pandemic

When Maria Silva retired from Providence Community Health Centers (PCHC) at the end of 2021, she took with her 52 years of experience as a health aide. Maria joined our organization in 1969, four years after community health centers were founded as a national concept and just one year after we opened our doors in Providence. When she walked into our Fox Point health center as a teenager looking for an after-school job, Maria had no way of knowing we would grow into the state’s biggest health center, providing care for more than 60,000 people at eight health centers, two schools, and Crossroads Rhode Island.

Like every other health care provider, we have experienced wave after wave of change over the last two years. From opening the state’s first walk-up and drive through COVID testing site to hosting more than 60 community vaccine clinics over the last six months, PCHC has been on the front lines of the state’s response to the COVID pandemic. Thanks to our dedicated employees, we kept our doors open and were able to provide care to people in need.

As an organization, we were faced with some difficult decisions. Two years ago, plans were in place to start construction of a new health center in the Olneyville section of Providence, a neighborhood with some of the worst health outcomes and indicators in the state. We were also planning to expand an existing health center in the Smith Hill area and open a dedicated clinic for people who have multiple chronic and behavioral conditions.

The need in the community for additional services was real. The question arose as to whether we could pursue such an undertaking during an unprecedented and ever-evolving health crisis. For our Board, leadership team, and me, the bigger question was: how could we not?

Despite the uncertainty, we chose to grow to meet the need.

On February 28th, we will hold a ribbon-cutting for a new 26,600 square-foot state-of-the-art health center called PCHC Atwood in the Olneyville section of Providence. This new site will complement our existing Olneyville health center and allow us to care for 14,000 new patients. PCHC Atwood will offer Adult Medicine, Family Medicine, Ob/Gyn, Pediatrics, Behavioral Health, Express Care, and Lab Services. It is a $15 million investment in the community that is creating 60 fair-wage jobs. The same month, we will complete renovations to our Capitol Hill health center, allowing 4,000 more people to access high-quality care in. Our clinic focused on patients with multiple chronic and behavioral health conditions -- called PCHC Connect at Eddy Street -- will also open later this year.

This type of growth might have been unthinkable to some during this escalating health crisis. For us, it is the next step in our 54-year commitment to building a healthier Rhode Island. It is not an easy task, but it is a critical one when it comes to ensuring our community can grow and thrive. Just ask Maria Silva -- who cared for patients and then their children and grandchildren for more than a half-century -- the difference PCHC can make one person at a time.