At one time, the Lamp was considering the construction of a whole new clinic building. The converted residences in which our clinic was located seemed less than ideal for the expanded services we wanted to offer. But financial constraints kept that idea on the sidelines. Strangely enough, the result has been something quite wonderful: an organically growing institution in the heart of the neighborhood.
This last year has seen a lot of construction, a very tangible message to the community that we are here to stay. The pictures above shows the covered seating area that is now nearing completion. Fifteen locally made metal benches will soon complete the scene. We will be able to provide health education sessions to patients and other groups much more easily with this addition.
Some months ago we completed a small building with two additional exam rooms.
We have, in fact, reconfigured the entire clinic. Previously our main clinic building had sturdy walls around it but other buildings were outside that zone of safety. Now we have joined all four of of our buildings with a number of short walls, giving us a much larger “campus”. This has allowed us to pull down the large walls around the main clinic, making the whole area more open and welcoming. A month ago a wall would have made these views impossible.
Our goal is to become a trusted community institution, an oasis of security, caring and professionalism, and a model for innovative social action. It is somewhat surprising, but it does seem that simple and modest physical changes may have moved us closer to that goal.
