Press Releases
Leggett Joins County Council and Other Officials to Celebrate Opening of New Dennis Avenue Health Center; Facility Provides Essential Services to Protect Community’s Public Health
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, April 27, 2016
County Executive Isiah Leggett today joined County Councilmember Nancy Navarro, Department of General Services Director David Dise, Department of Health and Human Services Director Uma Ahluwalia and County Health Officer Dr. Ulder Tillman to cut the ribbon on the newly opened Dennis Avenue Health Center (DAHC), located at 2000 Dennis Avenue in Silver Spring.
“I am excited to be here today to officially open this health center,” said Leggett. “It is a state-of-the-art building that will enable the public health staff who work here to provide the best services possible to the residents of our community. The services provided here at Dennis Avenue are critical public health programs that protect the health of all Montgomery County residents.”
The new 55,000 square foot facility is located next to the original building, which was originally built in the 1960’s and was initially used as an elementary school. The new center provides clinic and office space, and medical examination rooms and provides staff and clients with a high functioning medical facility that employs the latest technology. The building will also include a healing garden on the grounds.
The design includes many eco-friendly features and is on target to attain its goal of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certification. It incorporates best practices for sustainable construction and reducing environmental impacts.
The center handles one out of every 150 cases of tuberculosis in the United States. Currently, DAHC handles 74,700 patient visits per year with 115 employees.
A special design consideration of the new building is protecting patients and staff from communicable diseases such as tuberculosis. This includes state-of-the-art x-ray equipment, as well as a special air handling system.
“I am proud of the work our County does to invest in our healthcare infrastructure in order to deliver the best quality services to our community, while also providing a safe working environment for staff, said Councilmember Nancy Navarro. “The Dennis Avenue Health Center utilizes smart building strategies and is an asset to our residents and our environment.”
Public health programs located at DAHC include Communicable Disease & Epidemiology, Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response, Immunization, Disease Control, HIV Services, Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Services and Tuberculosis Control & Refugee Health.
“This beautiful new building symbolizes the transformation of DHHS as a more modern and accessible public serving department. Chronic disease management, disease surveillance, emergency preparedness are all core public health functions essential to our community,” said Uma S. Ahluwalia, director, Department of Health and Human Services. “Having our public access these services and our staff work in a healthy and modern work environment will only improve our responsiveness and critical public health outcomes. We are grateful to our Executive and our policy makers for supporting this much needed and welcomed facility.”
The new facility features two buildings—one for the Tuberculosis Control program and one for the remaining programs—joined by a common entry lobby.
“It is an honor to design, construct and maintain a facility that makes such a vital contribution to public health, while also modeling our commitment to sustainable design and the responsible use of public land,” said David Dise, director, Department of General Services.
The construction contractor for the Center is Walsh Construction Company. The architect is a Grimm and Parker/WilmotSanz joint venture, based in Calverton, MD. The construction cost for the project was approximately $23 million. The Center opened for operations on March 9. Demolition of the old building will begin shortly and construction of additional parking will begin following demolition.
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Media Contact: Mary Anderson 240-777-6507