Health care providers in this city are celebrating the community’s strong show of support for a proposed Pediatric Center of Excellence.

Pediatrician Jonathan Lee-Melk listens to the heart of a young patient. (Submitted photo)

The old 15th Street School will undergo renovation, making way for a new pediatric care center that will be opened largely with $1.2 million in federal economic stimulus funds.

The move saves the Spanish mission-style school building — which has become a landmark described as “near and dear to the people of Douglas” — from demolition.

“We’re going to make every effort to restore the school to its original exterior appearance as possible,” said Jennifer “Ginger” Ryan,

the chief executive officer and founder of  Chiricahua Community Health Centers Inc., which will operate the center

“While we’re going to work to maintain the exterior appearance, the interior will be completely remodeled to house pediatric exam rooms, pediatrician offices, a therapy play room and visiting specialists’ offices.”

Chiricahua administrators will be meeting with the Douglas school district on Tuesday to determine the property’s transfer of ownership, Ryan said. A landslide voter approval of nearly 90 percent last week has cleared the way for effective transfer of the 15th Street School property in Douglas to Chiricahua. Renovation of the former school is expected to begin once an environmental impact study is completed, Ryan said.

“This was a very strong show of support from the community,” Ryan said. “We got nearly 90 percent of the votes to move forward with this project.”

What’s next?

After visiting the old school property and conducting an evaluation of the premises earlier in the year, architects and engineers have determined that the building can be renovated into the pediatric center that Chiricahua envisions it will become for the community.

Once the facility is completed, Chiricahua plans to bring top medical specialists to Douglas so children can get the health care they need without having to travel to Tucson or Phoenix.

Pediatrician Jonathan Lee-Melk says the new center is the fulfillment of a dream for him and other pediatricians.

“This is going to be a center, which implies that it’s more encompassing than a clinic,” Lee-Melk said in an interview earlier this year. “We’ll be providing the highest quality of health care by bringing pediatric-trained professionals to the community, along with providing care coordination for children with special health care needs.”