March 29, 2024
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Houlton clinic holds open house Katahdin Valley Health Center facility offers range of medical services

HOULTON – Standing atop sparkling new floors and surrounded by freshly whitewashed walls and unblemished wooden cabinets, officials with the Katahdin Valley Health Center grabbed a pair of scissors and held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of its Houlton clinic Thursday.

The Patten-based center, which opened a full-time clinic at 59 Bangor St. in Houlton last December, hosted an open house to show off its new medical facility to the community. Crowds of people streamed into the clinic, which was bedecked with balloons and ribbons.

“I am really excited that we could expand our services to this community,” Lori Donley, KVHC’s chief operating officer, said during the ceremony. “I am glad that we will have a chance to offer more wide and diverse preventative health care services to the people of Houlton and the surrounding towns.”

Katahdin Valley Health Center serves more than 4,600 patients annually, most of whom are uninsured or underinsured.

The Houlton clinic offers sliding fees to those who meet federal income guidelines, with discounts ranging from 20 percent to 80 percent per visit.

The facility is served by doctors, a physician assistant, registered nurses and other personnel.

Services available at the new center include family medicine, men’s and women’s health, prescription assistance, and a laboratory.

The organization has been operating for more than 30 years.

Durward Humphrey, executive director of KVHC, said the clinic’s opening is just the beginning of the organization’s relationship with the town.

“Our expansion in Houlton will continue in the long term,” he said. “In a year or so, we are looking to add two more doctors and expand the facility. We would also like to bring in an optometrist and a podiatrist, as well … and eventually, we would like to have a dental clinic here.”

The executive director lauded both the town of Houlton and its officials for making KVHC’s expansion a smooth, successful process.

“We’ve been treated very well by both the town and its planning board,” he said Thursday. “I think that is a key element for business attraction.”

KVHC has a branch in Island Falls, and runs a full-service dental clinic in Millinocket.


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