Upon walking into the HelpCare Clinic, the Kearney winner of the All Makes 100 Year, $100,000 Office Makeover Contest, it may not be obvious much of a “makeover” occurred. Rather, it’s what’s behind the scenes of the makeover that will make a difference for HelpCare Clinic employees and the people they serve.
Since opening in 2015, the HelpCare Clinic has provided comprehensive health care to more than 1,000 uninsured patients with the help of over 200 volunteers who contributed over 6,500 hours. The clinic received 4,4453 votes to win the contest, which included a prize package of $25,000 in new office furniture from Allsteel and Hon, a Kyocera Copystar ECOSYS M5526 copier and a Meeting Owl courtesy of Owl Labs. The other Kearney nonprofit finalists were: Bravehearts Equine Therapy, the S.A.F.E. Center, the Kearney Area Children’s Museum and Buffalo County Community Partners.
“We knew it wouldn’t be a complete overhaul of the space,” said All Makes Designer Becky Graber, who worked with Kearney Regional Branch Manager Marc Bailey to complete the nonprofit’s vision. “We focused on a few specific needs.”
Those needs included an reorganized storage rooms, new seating in the exam rooms, and improving the layout, ergonomics, privacy and function of where employees sit and how they work. All Makes’ Kearney team selected Allsteel Essentials for storage and Allsteel Cadence for the executive director’s desk, Hon Olson stacking chairs for the exam rooms, Hon Voi and Hon Smartlink for the large storage items, and a Hon Concinnity floating credenza. Scroll down to see the before and after pictures.
Graber said that her goal was for the employees to be able to serve patients better, even if that meant forgoing more cosmetic changes.
“It was exciting to be able to find a better way to use their space,” Graber said. “A lot of it is behind-the-scenes improvement to the work they do every day; we focused on the way the employees work.”
The Hon Olson stacker chairs, for example, are easier to clean in a health care environment while opening up the space. All Makes even reconfigured the HelpCare Clinic’s existing workstation panels to let in more natural light and improve the office layout.
“It was exciting to help them achieve their goals and focus on their needs,” Graber said. “They were just every grateful and expressed that in every interaction.”
To celebrate 100 years in business, All Makes, along with Allsteel, Hon, Kyocera Copystar and Owl Labs, donated over $100,000 in office furniture and technology to four worthy nonprofits as voted by their respective communities. All Makes announced the winners on July 9.
Before
The HelpCare Clinic executive director’s workspace prior to the makeover.
Before the makeover, the storage overflowed with medical supplies and equipment.
Like many nonprofits, the HelpCare Clinic’s furniture was donated.
The old exam room chairs were difficult to clean and occupied too much space.
After
The HelpCare Clinic executive director’s office after the makeover, featuring Allsteel.
The new Hon Olson stacking chairs are easier to clean and open up the space.
The updated storage area, now with Hon Voi and Hon Smartlink.
The new storage desk, Hon Voi.