BUFFALO, N.Y. — ​The Neighborhood Health Center of Western New York was awarded a $250,000 grant.

The money from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York Blue Fund will go towards construction of the new site on Niagara Street.

“Preventative services and the continued need to address the social determinates of health that many of our patients and beloved community members experience are so important,” says Neighborhood Health Center CEO Joanne Haefner. “We are thrilled to have the support of the Blue Fund for this expansion as we continue our mission to improve patients’ lives by offering impactful health care provided by kind people.”

Crews are renovating an old manufacturing warehouse into a state-of-the-art medical center.

“Blue Fund builds on our company’s 85-year legacy by making meaningful investments in organizations that are working to enhance the health of our community and address social determinants of health,” said Michael Ball, Director, Blue Fund, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York. “With behavioral health a key focus area of Blue Fund, we’re proud to support Neighborhood Health Center’s expansion of its population health care management model to better serve the health care needs of the most vulnerable patients.”

Work is expected to be done by the first half of next year.