Our relationship with the Community Health Centers of Burlington began over 21 years ago, when they were in a tiny storefront at 279 North Winooski Avenue. We built a directory to list all of their health care providers, all 8 of them!

The Community Health Centers of Burlington is one of Vermont’s few Federally Qualified Health Care centers, providing exceptional health care to people of all ages, backgrounds, and life circumstances. They have allowed community residents to access primary and preventive health care, dental services and mental health and substance abuse treatment regardless of their ability to pay.

It was not long before the Community Health Center moved up the street to 617 Riverside Avenue, taking half of the second floor above a community grocery store. They soon occupied the rest of second floor, then the whole building! Following their largest capital campaign ever, they erected a completely new state-of-the-art building in 2011.

And with each of these moves we provided signs to identify the building as a whole, to help patients find their way from the street to their provider, and to recognize the many generous community members whose financial support makes their mission possible. Our challenge has always been to serve the needs of CHC’s patients and staff on a tight budget.

   

WAYFINDING

When patients enters the Health Center, we provide “wayfinding” signs, guiding them at each step toward their destination. This includes overhead directional signs, floor directories at each elevator, and individual room identification (all meeting the Americans with Disabilities Act).

RECOGNITION

The Community Health Centers of Burlington rely on generous members of the community to provide funds for both capital needs and ongoing expenses. And of course they want to publicly acknowledge these gifts, in a manner appropriate for the size of the gift. That’s where we come in again, providing recognition signage. In the photo of their old building, you’ll see recognition of the Hoehl, Wick and McClure families, using letters which decrease in size.

Here are a few of the recognition signs in the new building. Below the large “Hoehl Reception Area” letters are small pieces of stone from the foundation of the building torn down in 2011 . Each one displays the name of a generous individual (printed courtesy of Catalyst Design) that we attached to the wall. .

OTHER SITES

But the Community Health Centers are more than just the flagship Riverside Health Center. There is the Keeler Bay Health Center, providing service to patients in the Champlain Islands.

Also the Pearl Street Youth Health Center, providing health services for youth and young adults through age 25 and special services for at-risk youth, homeless teens, and young adults.

And the Safe Harbor Health Center,  serving adults and families experiencing homelessness.

We are grateful for the long-term relationship we have had with Community Health Centers of Burlington, and proud of the work we have done to help them communicate with their patients and the community.