Attendees gather in front of the Amtrak building in Hanford, home of the new Hanford Employee Care Connection offering free health care to city and school employees. Photo via City of Hanford

Hanford public sector employees and their direct families now have access to a quick, free health care resource thanks to Hanford Employee Care Connection, which will provide a variety of services focusing on acute care, episodic and ongoing care, prevention, wellness coaching and more.

The copay-free clinic, located inside the city-owned Amtrak building in Hanford, will be open five days a week from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. The clinic also has an on-site pharmacy with lab draw capacity.

On Tuesday, city and school district officials commemorated the grand opening with representatives from Elite Corporate Medical Services. The clinic operator specializes in on- and near-site medical clinics, providing, convenient compassionate care while reducing health care costs, according to a news release.

“Thank you to our partners at the City and school district for your trust, your vision, and your collaboration,” Elite Corporate Medical Services CEO Nick Gambini said. “Your leadership in prioritizing accessible, high-quality healthcare for your employees is inspiring, and we’re excited to walk this journey with you.”

Discussions about the clinic started in 2024 between the City of Hanford and Hanford Joint Union High School District. This January, Hanford City Council approved a three-year agreement to share clinic expenses with the district.

“We already have a great working relationship and partner with the City on many efforts to educate our youth and keep them safe,” said Hanford Joint Union High School District Superintendent Dr. Victor Rosa. “So this is a great natural progression toward keeping our combined staff members healthy and happy.”

The clinic, located in Downtown Hanford, now occupies a newly remodeled space inside the Amtrak building. The clinic is located next door to the Hanford office of the Valley Community Small Business Development Center (SBDC), which provides free consulting services to small businesses and entrepreneurs in the city.

“Up until very recently this side of the building was just collecting dust,” Hanford City Manager Mario Cifuentez said. “But between what we hope is a bustling health clinic and a lot of great work already happening at the SBDC, I am looking forward to the reactivation of this space. It’s a win for downtown Hanford and the City as a whole.”