November 4, 1998

Even though foundation forms were already in place, county and city dignitaries gathered to break ground for the county Ceres Medical Office Friday morning. District 5 Supervisor Paul Caruso of Ceres joked that work was going so fast on the project that the county medical personnel could start moving their desks that afternoon.

In reality, the new 10,000 square-foot medical facility will not be completed until April, to give staff members more breathing room. The county has outgrown its current medical offices – which are estimated at 4,200 square feet—leased from Dr. Steven Marles across the street from the abandoned Memorial Hospital Ceres.

Located next to Carl's Junior restaurant, facing Whitmore Avenue, the new office will allow the county to expand its current level of services. Polly Antonio, manager of the Ceres medical facility, said that the new building will enable four physicians to care for patients at a time; currently it's tight when three are practicing at a single moment. The office will be more convenient for low-income participants in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program to receive food and supply vouchers. The existing office only dispenses WIC vouchers to pregnant women; the rest must go to Modesto. Ceres will be dispensing the vouchers for baby formula, eggs, cereal, cheese and some baby needs. The city believes that the vouchers will be redeemed locally, which will benefit merchants by increased sales.

Approximately 1,000 women in Ceres participate in the WIC program each month. WIC provides assistance for children up to the age of five.

Caurso noted that the road to the ground breaking started many years ago. He said the project is a "resurrection out of the ashes of closing the hospital." The county made what he called a wise decision to decentralize medical services to make it easier for people to get to the service provider.

Absent at the ground breaking was former mayor Barbara Hinton, who was instrumental in talks with the county to expand medical services in Ceres. Current Mayor Eric Ingwerson, however, said the office is a great addition to the community. He couldn't resist a plug for the county to work toward a 24-hour emergency care facility.

Brekke Real Estate of Modesto is building and will own the structure and lease it to the county. American Medical Response ambulance company will lease space for an office and 24-hour ambulance bay.

The building's architecture was drawn up by Michael R. Pratt, who is a Ceres High School graduate and principal with the Pratt Navarro Architecture firm.

On Nov. 5 the county will be holding a grand opening for the new Hughson Medical Office, located within the United Samaritan building.

Antonio said that the county will be offering behavioral health clinics for persons 21 and older. Currently the only behavioral health services are for those 21 and younger only one day per week. Besides the family practitioners who will have offices, the facility will offer women's health services, OB/GYN services, CHDP program, immunizations, family planning, a sexually-transmitted disease clinic, Keep Baby Safe classes in English and Spanish, La Maze classes in English and Spanish, and nutrition and diabetic clinics. Sports physicals will also be conducted at the site.

She said that initially office hours will be the same 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and Thursdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Used by permission of The Ceres Courier.