Officials break ground for the 31st clinic for United Health Centers in the region in Southeast Fresno in June 2023. Photo by Ben Hensley

United Health Centers is the latest property developer frustrated with Pacific Gas & Electric’s delays in hooking up the power to a building nearing completion.

Ground was broken on June 2023 for United Health Centers’ 12,300 square-foot clinic near Jensen and Cedar avenues in the Calwa community. United Health Centers CEO Justin Preas told The Business Journal in a recent interview that the building’s opening is delayed until early next year, due in part to PG&E’s problems in activating the electricity for the building.

Construction was expected to take just over a year.

Preas is scheduled take part in a news conference at the site Thursday at 10:30 a.m. hosted by Fresno City Councilmember Luis Chavez, who said this represents a growing public health crisis for south Fresno residents.

“Southeast Fresno is one of the most underserved areas of Fresno for health care services,” Preas said at the 2023 groundbreaking. “UHC is honored to be part of this expansion of services in Fresno.”

The new center will offer primary care as well as COVID testing, treatment and vaccinations. It will also offer dental and chiropractic care, mental health and psychiatry services and extended hours for urgent care.

The center will also offer free transportation for patients to and from their appointments.

It’s not clear the nature of delays attributed to PG&E, which has been in the hot seat since late 2022 over time spent connecting new construction, including homes, to the power grid. In an October 2022 update, PG&E reportedly told builders project could take up to 150 days to be hooked up. Up to 400 homes awaited electrification at that point, with homebuyers living in hotels or leasing month-to-month apartments before they could move in.

PG&E agreed to allocate $86 million to bring back furloughed independent third-party contractors to connect new subdivisions.

Youcentralvalley.com shared a statement from PG&E saying the investor-owned utility is working to schedule the necessary work for the health clinic.

We at PG&E understand how vital the United Health Centers clinic is to the Calwa community. We have received the required redesign plans from the center’s utility designer, and we are working to schedule this connection as quickly as possible.