NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Large wooden boards cover a gaping hole in the front of the Peninsula Health Center, off of J. Clyde Morris Boulevard in Newport News. It's the aftermath of a car crashing into the building Thursday night, hurting the driver and a worker inside.
Public health coordinators say they don't have a timeline yet of when they will re-open, but until then, they are working around the clock to relocate the services here for the people who rely on them.
For Holly Mullin, she didn't have a lot of time when she arrived at the center to find it blocked off around the building with caution tape.
She arrived Monday to update her three newly adopted children's birth certificates, only to find the one place she needed to get it done is closed indefinitely.
"It was just like, 'What are we going to do?' Like, panic mode," Mullin explained as her husband and three children sat in the car.
The Peninsula Health Center serves as a hub for the Newport News community with its immunization and testing clinics, the Women Infant and Children program, and records services.
Population Health Coordinator, Tes La Dieu, said it's going to take time to re-open the building. So, she and her team worked around the clock to find other spaces for these services.
"A lot of our services were impacted by this incident," said La Dieu. "We're working with the city of Newport News as well as Riverside Health System to make sure we still have health clinics set up for our patients."
Mullin said because the health district acted quickly, she can now find another place to get her children's updated records in time.
"I did not want to go online because that was like, an 8-to-12-week backup the last time we tried. I need it quicker than that," said Mullin. "Now that I know, I'm excited again. I'm ready to go and to get this done, so I can get them what they need."
Newport News police officers said a man driving the car and a woman working inside both got hurt in this incident. They say the two are expected to survive.
La Dieu also mentioned her team is working on establishing a helpline for people to call with their questions.
In the meantime, you can find all the new service locations on the Virginia Department of Health's website and when they begin again, depending on the need for appointments. You can also call (757) 727-1172, which is on the board outside the center.