A Federally Qualified Health Center that provides care to uninsured or underinsured patients will break ground in McKinney on a new larger facility this summer.

The FQHC, named the Family Health Center at Virginia Parkway, has been operating out of the Wysong Campus at 120 S. Central Expressway, Ste. 103 and 105, since January 2018.

FHCVP CEO Allen Patterson said the new health center will be located in east or central McKinney. A location is expected to be announced in March. Construction is expected to begin this summer and last through late 2019 or 2020.

The health center offers primary medical and dental care as well as counseling services to uninsured and underinsured patients. FHCVP also offers a sliding fee scale based on family size and income level, Patterson said.

“Our mission is to serve the vulnerable, regardless of a patient’s income or insurance status,” he said.

The new facility will be more than double the size of the current building, which is approximately 6,800 square feet, as well as have double the number of providers and add a laboratory, X-ray machines, classroom space for medical students and likely a pharmacy, Patterson said.

In early 2018, McKinney City Council approved a resolution supporting Independent Bank's efforts to construct an FQHC. The bank will sponsors fundraising for the new facility and donate $2.5 million toward the approximately $7 million project. The bank decided to invest in the new facility because it saw a demand for more health care options for underserved citizens in McKinney, James Tippit, Independent Bank executive vice president, said at a council meeting in February 2018.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect that McKinney City Council approved a resolution supporting the FQHC. The city has not approved a public-private partnership between Independent Bank and the health center for this project as previously stated in this article.