Next steps for new medical clinic opening in Palisade

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) - As we’ve previously reported, the space where the old Palisade High School sits is the future site of Community Hospital’s new medical clinic. Tuesday evening at the Town of Palisade Board meeting, the board approved a contract for the demolition of the old high school as well as the approval of an architect firm.

“This end of the valley has not had direct medical services for almost 20 years,” said Palisade Mayor Greg Mikolai. “So right now medical services for this end of the valley, the closest comes almost 10 miles away. So that alone is a great benefit to this community.”

The City of Palisade and Community Hospital partnered for this project. The plan is for the demolition of the old Palisade High School. The City of Palisade will build the clinic and Community Hospital plans to rent it on a 10 year lease with renewals every five years. The entire High School will be torn down. But the gymnasium will be renovated and remain separate from the clinic and function as a community rec center.

“Our plan for Palisade is to have a family practice clinic with three physicians to start with,” said Community Hospital CEO Chris Thomas. “And also an urgent care that’ll be open seven days a week 12 hours a day so we’ll have availability for walk ins. So you don’t have to come all the way into Grand Junction to the emergency room. So it’ll be a combination.”

Chris Thomas went on to say, most of the health care in the Grand Valley has moved towards the west, yet half of the population in the Grand Valley is east of 12th Street.

“We have a clinic at 28 1/4 and Patterson,” said Thomas. “That’s the farthest east that anybody has a clinic. We have a clinic at 12th Street but this is really gonna be the only clinic on that side of the valley. Now with the Palisade Plunge and all the great things going on in Palisade, this urgent care is going to be a big deal too. We’ll have imaging, a full lab, full imaging.”

Asbestos mitigation is currently underway. Demolition will begin later this month by DC Contracting with the completion around the end of March. The architect firm, MOA architects, was approved today and will begin planning, design, and project management shortly.

”The urgent care that’ll be provided by this clinic will be a great benefit not only to the citizens of Palisade but to our visitors who are enjoying the plunge, I hope safely,” said Mikolai. “But incase something does happen, they will have urgent care services available directly from the bottom of the trail.”

Construction will begin this spring after the demolition is complete. The physicians have been picked and the clinic is estimated to be completed and open in January 2023, one year from now.

Although the project is still moving forward, fundraising efforts are still underway to raise the remainder of the money. Anyone looking to donate is encouraged to contact the Palisade city manager.

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