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Rock River Community Clinic has provided medical care out of the Watertown YMCA for 17 years and dental care out of the Fort HealthCare Handeyside Clinic basement for 18 years. It will move out of those locations later this year. Those buildings will be sold.

Those with the clinic are eyeing a new site that will offer medical, dental and behavioral services for clients on the first floor of the Fort HealthCare Johnson Creek clinic.

Also eyed is renovating the Whitewater medical clinic to expand into the empty lower suite for administrative and business offices.

And under consideration is relocating the Watertown medical clinic to the empty medical clinic building on the Watertown Regional Medical Center campus and renovating the building.

Both building sales are part of “larger community initiatives designed to centralize patient care and improve community access to healthy living,” according to the statement.

According to the clinic, the need to relocate services has allowed those affiliated with it to “reimagine service settings” in the greater Jefferson County area to maximize access to affordable, comprehensive care. One of the top goals is to “integrate services” to minimize overhead costs and maximize patient access to affordable services, the statement said.

“By integrating care services in Johnson Creek, we reduce barriers to accessing health care and gain collaborations that measurable and efficiently improve health outcomes,” Nichols said. “The proposed capital expansion will aid us — the collective greater Jefferson County region — in moving further upstream to reduce health disparities.”

Rock River Community Clinic reported serving 2,984 patients across 7,642 visits in its medical and dental clinics in 2023. Through the Johnson Creek expansion, it anticipates it will serve 4,550 patients by 2026, and with the expansion of behavioral health services, it will include 12,040 total visits.

The total project cost is estimated to cost $1.65 million, with $1.2 million for the Johnson Creek renovation; $175,000 for the Whitewater remodel; $50,000 to relocate the Watertown clinic and $225,000 to support initial increased operational expenses and meet any incidental construction costs. Rock River Community Clinic expects grant funding from local and regional funders to cover about 50% of the project with the remaining $800,000 to fundraise through local donors.

The Fort Atkinson Community Foundation has pledged a $250,000 grant toward the project, and $80,000 has been committed by the Common Ground Healthcare Foundation.

Donations are being sought from individuals, small businesses and corporations, with giving levels ranging from $500 to $200,000. All donors will be recognized in the lobby of the Johnson Creek clinic on a donor wall, with naming rights available at higher levels of donation for the business center, dental surgery rooms and lab rooms.

Construction is planned to start in October, if the capital fundraising goal has been met. All clinic updates are planned for completion by February 2026, according to the statement.