Ground broken for new FPA clinic in Hoyt

A special groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday morning for the new Family Practice Associates clinic being constructed in Hoyt.

Representatives from Holton Community Hospital, Family Practice Associates, Chance Construction, the city of Hoyt and the HCH board of directors were present to break ground on the 1,820 square-foot facility, which will be located just north of Denison State Bank. 

Carrie Saia, Holton Community Hospital chief executive officer, announced last fall that the Rural Health Resources of Jackson County had purchased the land near the bank to build a new clinic off of Kansas Highway 214. For the past 10 years, the clinic has been operated out of a residential home at 207 Highland Ave.

“The city has been very generous in allowing us to operate the clinic from there even though it is zoned for residential,” Saia said.

In January, the Holton City Commission agreed to issue $3.6 million in health care facilities revenue bonds on behalf of Rural Health Resources in order to refinance existing bonds used in the construction of the Holton hospital, finance the remodeling of the hospital’s physical and cardiac rehabilitation departments and to construct the new clinic in Hoyt. The projected cost of the new clinic is $200,000, it was reported.

Chance Construction of Mayetta has been hired to build the clinic, which will include four exam rooms, a waiting room, two bathrooms, a filing area/nurse station, a break room, a physician’s office, a lab/draw room and some workrooms.

“As of right now, we’re just going to equip two of the four exam rooms, but this will allow us to have patients waiting in exam rooms instead of the waiting room,” said Jamie Stuke, who serves as the advanced practice registered nurse at the clinic. Dr. Lee Schnee also serves the clinic one day a week. “This layout will create a better flow and increase privacy for our patients. This will be a true clinic setting.”

Stuke has worked at the Hoyt clinic for seven years.

“I love the community and the patients,” she said. “We’ve appreciated all the support we’ve received from Holton. There is a need for health care in southern Jackson County, and we’re here to help.”

Saia said that the Hoyt clinic served 1,900 patients last year, and with Stuke’s dedication to the clinic, the number of patients has grown almost 30 percent since she started.

“People want to know their provider and want that consistency in their care, and Jamie has done that,” Saia said.

D.J. Chance of Chance Construction reported at the groundbreaking that the project is expected to take five to six months to complete. Concrete work will begin shortly, and the framework is scheduled to begin near Nov. 15.

“We’ll pour the parking lot and then fence it off, and we’ll also pour a temporary drive,” Chance said. “The construction schedule will also depend on what kind of fall we have.”

If the weather is uncooperative, Chance said that the exterior paintwork may have to be delayed until spring.

Hoyt City Council member Nate McAlister was present during the groundbreaking and shared his excitement for the project.

“This is a great opportunity for the Hoyt community,” McAlister said.

Besides Stuke and Schnee, the Hoyt clinic is staffed by a nurse and a receptionist. The clinic’s current hours are 7 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The clinic is closed Wednesdays.

Stuke said it’s unclear at this time whether staffing or clinic hours will be increased with the construction of the new clinic.