New clinic in the works

Congressman Doug LaMalfa was in town on Friday (March 27) to provide a keynote address at the groundbreaking of Northern Valley Indian Health’s future clinic in south Chico.

The new clinic, expected to open for patients next fall, will complement the existing NVIH clinic on East Avenue and feature 41 medical examination rooms and 13 dental exam rooms, as well as employ up to 30 people, according to an NVIH press release. The clinic will serve an estimated 13,000 people annually and become the new home of the NVIH Children’s Health Center.

As a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, LaMalfa (pictured) serves on a subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native affairs. On Friday he said, “It’s important we get it right on these issues—Indian health services have lagged in the past, but we’ve made good strides in recent years.”