New clinic to serve To'hajiilee

By Natasha Kaye Johnson
Diné Bureau

GALLUP — The community members of To'hajiilee no longer have to travel far distances to receive quality health care.

Just this week, residents celebrated the completion of the new Canoncito Health Clinic, a project that has been in the works for over three years.

The 13,035 square foot facility has officially replaced the 3,360 square-foot modular building that has been used as the community's primary clinic for the past 26 years.

In recent years, it became more clear to officials that the facility was hindering health providers from delivering optimal care, especially with the community's growing population.

"The health providers were on top of each other working," said Jim Platero, executive director of the Canoncito Band of Navajo Health Center, Inc.

In 2001, the clinic had 12,575 patients visit the small facility. Mary Jean Barrera, clinic administrator, said that overall clinic attendance had risen from 585 to 640 from 2002 to 2004, a high increase for such a small community.

Not only was overcrowing an issue, but officials said many community members just found the building unappealing, causing some to travel 35 miles to Albuquerque, or 45 miles to Acoma, to avoid the facility.

Now, officials are confident that people will look forward, as much as they can to a doctor's visit, to getting health care at the nearly $3 million clinic.

What makes the project especially unique is that the building is owned by the community, and will be leased to Indian Health Services, which will provide services, as well as medical equipment and supplies.

Initially, in 2005, the community submitted a proposal for an Indian Community Development Block Grant; however, due to scarce funding, the project was not considered. The Navajo Community Development Block Grant office then stepped in, with the help of Canoncito Band of Navajos, and was able to identify $1 million in funding under a 1999 grant. In due time, the Navajo Nation was then able to receive a grant amendment award in January 2005 in the amount of $1 million.

The Navajo Nation and CBN then entered contract in June 2005, with construction starting three months later. The U.S. Department of Agriculture funded $1,580,000, the Indian Community Block Grant another $1,209,00, and the State of New Mexico provided $80,000.

After the completion of the facility in August, officials were anxious to open the facility. Officials feel strongly that the completed project will now allow them to provide a higher standard of immediate health care and prevention services.