91视频

Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center鈥檚 renovation and addition to its Newberg Wellness Center transformed a 1990s building into a modern, 22,733-square-foot facility designed to expand access to healthcare for the Latino community and others facing barriers to care.

The center, located at 2251 E. Hancock St. and completed in March 2025, tripled the num-ber of exam rooms, dental operatories, and space dedicated to lab and pharmacy services. The larger facility allowed Virginia Garcia to increase its provider count from two to seven, expanding patient capacity from 2,400 to 5,316.

The design, led by Scott Edwards Architecture, draws from mid-century Mexican modern architects Luis Barragan and Ricardo Legorreta, incorporating saturated color, stone, stuc-co, heavy timber, and breezeblock screens. A central interior corridor called 鈥淭he Street鈥� connects the original building to the new addition through exposed glulam columns, acoustic ceiling grids, and modular skylights.

The clinic remained fully operational throughout construction, which unfolded across 12 phases. General contractor Bremik Construction prefabricated all wood-framed walls for the new addition in a designated staging area on site, improving layout accuracy, reducing material waste, and limiting noise and dust near active clinical areas. The team also im-plemented Infection Control Risk Assessment protocols, conducted air quality monitoring, and scheduled high-noise work before clinic opening hours on days the facility opened at 10 a.m.

Sustainability measures include a 6,000-square-foot roof designed to support approxi-mately 80 kilowatts of solar panels, expected to produce roughly 86,000 kilowatt-hours an-nually. The project received a Portland General Electric Renewable Development Fund Grant, resulting in 150 solar panels being installed. Approximately 4,300 pounds of exist-ing carpet tile were recycled through a local manufacturer, diverting the material from land-fill.

Funding came from multiple sources including New Market Tax Credits, a Health Resources and Services Administration grant, congressional support, private fundraising through the Virginia Garcia Memorial Foundation, and a dental equipment donation from A-dec Dental.

Although the project carried no specific minority contracting requirements, Bremik engaged 11 COBID-certified subcontractors representing more than 20 percent of the subcontractor team. Scott Edwards Architecture worked with COBID-certified firms including PLACE, ABD Engineering, and ecoREAL LLC, which made up half of its consultant team.

鈥淭he building鈥檚 thoughtful design and generous use of natural light have made a remarka-ble difference,鈥� Lupe Sanchez, medical clinic operations manager for VGN Primary Care at Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, said in the Top Projects nomination form. 鈥淭he pro-ject reflects a collaborative vision brought to life, and we鈥檙e incredibly proud of its positive impact on patients, staff, and the community.鈥�