‘Building on a dream’ – Vera French center to be renovated

The  Vera French Community Mental Health Center in Davenport will soon get a nearly $2 million renovation. The project, which will begin soon and could be done by the end of the year, will create a more welcoming environment and provide a lot more space for people being helped by the Vera French facility, according […]

The  Vera French Community Mental Health Center in Davenport will soon get a nearly $2 million renovation. The project, which will begin soon and could be done by the end of the year, will create a more welcoming environment and provide a lot more space for people being helped by the Vera French facility, according to the center’s leadership.

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“It takes courage to seek out help for symptoms of a mental illness, which often is made worse by substance use. At Vera French, we’re working to remove any and all barriers to getting help and improve access for people regardless of their situation,” said Dr. Rich Whitaker, Vera French’s CEO. “This project provides a modern and accessible front entrance to our historic clinic on Central Park Avenue that will allow us to serve more people and give everyone a better treatment experience.” Dr. Whitaker was one of about 75 people from the business and health care communities who gathered to help usher in the project on a sunny but cold Friday morning, April 19. The ground-breaking ceremony was held in the parking lot of the Vera French center at 1441 W. Central Park Ave., Davenport. The center sits on Genesis Medical Center’s West Campus.  During the ceremony, Dr. Whitaker told the crowd that when he applied for the CEO job at Vera French a few years ago, he noticed that the West Central Park Avenue building had several steps going up to the front door. Those steps could be barriers to people with physical challenges. “I said we’ve got to do something about that. … This all speaks to more accessibility. There should be no barriers to getting help,” he added. During the project’s construction, Vera French’s Central Park location will continue seeing clients through its outpatient prescriber services, individual counseling, peer support and care coordination services. Initial mental health evaluations without an appointment during designated Same Day Access (SDA) hours will also continue during construction at the Central Park Clinic. However, when construction starts, one of the parking lots used by Vera French will be closed to the public. That parking lot is near the intersection of Washington Street and West Central Park Avenue on the north side of the building, according to information provided by Vera French. Even though the construction might cause a few temporary inconveniences, the end result will be worth it, Vera French leaders said. “A positive, dignified and trauma-informed experience is critical to foster the momentum of recovery from mental illness,” Denise Beenk, a licensed social worker and Vera French employee, said in a news release before Friday’s ceremony. “This expansion helps to provide that experience from the first moment our clients and patients enter our Central Park Clinic.” This expansion is part of ongoing renovation and modernization efforts at the Vera French Clinic undertaken since its 50th anniversary rededication in October 2021. Following the expansion, Vera French will complete its renovations by updating the building’s original windows, stabilizing exterior masonry, replacing the building’s roof and completing other renovations. Fund development efforts are underway for the remaining renovations needed to keep the Vera French Clinic at Central Park in service well into the 2030s and beyond. Vera French has completed other capital projects, including improvements made to the Vera French Carol Center building in central Davenport last year. Some of the facts and the features of the latest project at Vera French Clinic include:

• The renovation will cost about $1.88 million, according to Nathan Sondgeroth, executive director of the Vera French Foundation and director of strategic initiatives.
• The project will renovate the building’s current 1,206 square feet of office space. There will be 3,133 square feet of additional space added to the building. This will include a storefront entrance, two intake rooms, reception and waiting areas and parking lot upgrades.
• The renovation project will begin this summer and is scheduled for completion at the end of the year.
• The new structure will have heavy laminated timber beams, columns and purlins.
• The new exterior walls will feature full height glass.
• The new main entry lobby will provide an ADA accessible entrance.
• Staff will have an improved view of patients waiting in the lobby, and a better flow of people through the intake process.
• The partners teaming with Vera French on the renovation project include the Russell company, Streamline Architects, Carr Engineering and Townsend Engineering.

Most of Friday’s ceremonies were held next to an old black-and-white photo of the center’s namesake – Dr. Vera French. During the ceremonies, Dr. Whitaker said the renovation and expansion project will keep her dream alive of helping people in the community. “In the late 1960s, the community mental health center on Central Park Avenue was the dream of our namesake, Dr. Vera French,” Dr. Whitaker said in a news release ahead of Friday’s events. “Dr. French achieved her dream in 1971 with the completion of a building that was ahead of its time in recognizing the power of natural light to help improve the mental health of our patients, clients and staff members. With our recent expansion of the Vera French Clinic at Central Park, we are building on that dream and honoring one of Dr. French’s core beliefs, specifically that easier access, a bigger and brighter waiting room, and a more welcoming space are better for everyone’s mental health.”