The Clinic for Special Children held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday for its new 28,062 square foot facility.
Once completed, the nonprofit will move all operations from its current location in Strasburg to the new address, which is just east of Intercourse at the intersection of Old Philadelphia Pike and Hatville Road.
“This day is exciting,” Executive Director Adam Heaps said. “This is a project that we started working on seven or eight years ago. So, it has been a long time coming.”
The new building will have nearly triple the space the clinic has now. It will include 12 exam rooms large enough to accommodate whole families, as well as discussion rooms, a community room, and a fully accessible playground. Construction is expected to take about a year.
Idario Santos moved here from Brazil to have his son be seen by doctors for the genetic disorder known as maple syrup urine disease, or MSUD. “I’m really happy to say that my son was the first person from Brazil to be cured from MSUD. This happened because of the Clinic for Special Children,” Santos said.
The clinic is primarily supported through community fundraising events and donations. Officials said about 70% of the $12.5 million project cost has been raised so far.
Last year, Lancaster County contributed $287,500 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for the facility’s advanced air circulation and filtration system.
A rendering of the new clinic being built near Intercourse.
