Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) joined the Atascosa Health Center (AHC) to announce a new $5,000,000 health care facility in Pleasanton that will be funded by an Affordable Care Act federal grant.

“Thanks to the health care law, community health centers across Texas, including the Atascosa Health Center, will soon be able to significantly expand services to their patients,” Congressman Cuellar said. “People in South Texas who live far from hospitals rely on health centers for the majority of their medical needs. This investment in our community and its health will provide high quality health care, support good paying jobs and boost the local economy.  Thank you to the Atascosa Health Center for undertaking this important project.”

Over its 34 years of service to the community, AHC has outgrown its currently facility in the old Pleasanton hospital, a 60-year-old building that requires constant maintenance.  The federal grant awarded to AHC will be used to construct a 19,390 square foot medical, dental and behavioral health facility that will replace AHC’s outdated current facility. 

“The building of a modern health care complex designed to be a medical home for people of all ages, where individuals and families can access medical, dental and behavioral health services at one location, has been a part of our organization’s strategic plan since 2005,” said Monty Small, CEO of the Atascosa Health Center. “We have worked toward this goal in multiple phases for the past seven years. These funds will allow us to complete the final phase of construction.”

The facility will double its number of medical exams rooms from ten to twenty, double the number of dental operations from four to eight and offer expanded behavior services as well as WIC (Women, Infants and Children) nutritional services. The project is estimated to create 58 full time jobs and generate $6.6 million in total economic impact in the local economy according to the Texas Association of Community Health Centers.

The Atascosa Health Center’s mission is to provide accessible, comprehensive health promotion and quality primary health care services to residents of Atascosa and surrounding counties, regardless of their ability to pay. In 2011, the Atascosa Health Center and its two satellite clinics in Karnes and Wilson counties served 12,555 people through 38,087 medical, dental and behavioral health visits.