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ALTON, Texas - Nuestra Clinica Del Valle (NCDV) has held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new health clinic the nonprofit is opening in Alton.

The facility is being built on E. Dukakis Avenue, close to SH 107. The nonprofit will lease the facility from the City of Alton. Its current clinic in the city will then close.

In an exclusive interview with the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service, Nuestra\\u2019s CEO, Lucy Torres said the new clinic will be slightly bigger than the current one in Alton.

\\u201cIt\\u2019s going to be about 1,000 square foot more than what we have currently. But, the good thing about this expansion is that it's going to be more conducive for providing medical services and should increase and help us be more efficient and effective,\\u201d Torres said.\\xa0

Torres said all the current services NCDV provides will be maintained in the new facility.

\\u201cWe will continue to offer the comprehensive services that we have at the moment, which include behavioral medical, support services, nutrition, just all the gamut of services.\\u201d

Torres predicted the new facility will attract one more full-time healthcare provider. Currently, she said, NCDV has about 12 staff in Alton.

Torres said NCDV provides quality healthcare services to residents in Hidalgo and Starr Counties. It has 11 locations, including two schools based clinics to treat and care for children.\\xa0

"NCDV offers comprehensive medical services that include family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, laboratory, radiology, nutrition, behavioral health and dental,\\u201d Torres said.\\xa0

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Asked why Alton is important to NCDV, Torres said: \\u201cWe've been in Alton since 2002. We were one of the first safety net providers in this area. And the need has grown. This is a rural community that didn't have access to medical services. It has always been on our radar.\\u201d

Torres added: \\u201cWe're looking forward to our new clinic. I think the staff are excited and I think the community is excited. I think the partnership that we have formed with the community is very ideal. I think we send the message to the Feds and to the State Legislature that the community values our services and that they have bought into the program. I think that matters.\\u201d

Editor's Note: Go to the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service to read the full story.

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