CHAS to open additional Lewiston clinic next year

CHAS Health plans to open an additional clinic in Lewiston, Idaho, late next year and expand its services.

Cheryl Cervantes, vice president of facilities at CHAS Health, said providers have outgrown the existing location on Idaho Street. Providing space for all doctors and support staff, including registered nurses, a clinical pharmacist and registered dietitian has become challenging.

“We just want to make sure that we’re accommodated in our growth for our staff and our patients,” she said.

Over the past year, the CHAS clinics in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley served more than 9,700 patients between medical, behavioral health and dental clinics, said Tamitha Shockley French, vice president of communications and public policy at CHAS Health.

Right now, most behavioral health care for Lewiston clients is done through telehealth, Cervantes said. The end goal is to bring all patients on-site.

“Once we complete the remodel to move our primary care to the new location, we will go back and do a refresh of the existing building and move all of our behavioral health staff into that other site,” she said.

The existing location on Idaho Street has about 8,000 square feet in size, while the new building on Main Street is about 24,000 square feet. Both locations will remain open when the second is opened, Cervantes said.

That space will allow for an expanded pharmacy, group meeting rooms for patient education sessions and expanded technological access.

Part of the goal with the new location is to allow for more providers, Cervantes said. The new location will also have more parking.

“We have the parking across the street from the building, and then we also purchased the back half of the US Bank parking lot,” she said.

In addition to more space, Cervantes said, the new location was chosen thanks to its visibility and accessibility for patients who may not be able to drive themselves.

“It’s on the bus line for our patients. And that’s always something we look at, is ‘How will the patients, if they’re not able to drive, going to get to that site?’” she said.

Demolition inside of the building is set for July, Cervantes said, with plans for the exterior of the building to remain largely unchanged, with the exception of a few additional windows.