The Westfield Red Cross Chapter is moving from its present location at 48 Broad St. However, it will be a very short move.
Westfield Red Cross Executive Director Richard Rubin announced yesterday that the chapter has signed a four-year lease with St. John’s Lutheran Church at 60 Broad Street to house the chapter’s administrative operations and educational programs.
Rubin said the National Red Cross organization is restructuring and is selling local chapter buildings that no longer support the programs offered by the agency.
“There are structural changes within the Red Cross,” Rubin said. “Older chapter house are outdated, many in need of repair and are not handicap accessible.”
The Westfield Red Cross Chapter, established in 1923, has been located at 48 Broad St., since the building was donated in 1948.
Rubin said the building no longer supports the programs now being offered through the Red Cross.
“I was told last year to sell the house, but did want to put it on the market until we had a suitable place to go,” Rubin said.
That suitable place is the lower level of St. John’s where the chapter will have a dedicated administrative area and classroom for the Certified Nurse Assistant Training (CNA) and Home Health Aide programs. The chapter will also have access to two other classrooms where CPR, First Aid and youth programs will be offered.
“This is very exciting news for us, and, hopefully, the community,” Rubin said. “It has been a long and tedious process, but we’re happy and excited that we have found a place that is suitable.”
‘We’re excited for a number of reasons, including proximity.” he said. “We’ve had a long relationship with the church, holding our community blood drives there for the past 35 years and our annual meetings for the past 20 years.”
The church property provides a much larger parking area to support programs and is handicapped accessible.
The CNA program has grown in popularity over the years because people are getting jobs after they receive state certification,” Rubin said. “A lot of people use the CNA program as a stepping stone to go into the nursing field. Classes are overflowing, so parking is a nightmare.
“The church has let us use their parking free of charge for overflow parking, free of charge (when those programs are being conducted),” he said.
“We also do our clinical training at the Governor’s Center (at 66 Broad St.) right next door to the church.”
Frank Horrigan, chairman of the Westfield Red Cross Chapter Board of Directors said the board members have “been outspoken about their desire to maintain a strong Red Cross presence in Westfield.
“The opportunity to partner with St. John’s, whose mission is the same as ours, to help people in need, makes this association ideal, everybody will benefit,” Horrigan said. “We explored a number of options, but St. John’s is a natural partnership.”
Rubin said the chapter will complete the move before the current building is posted for sale.
“My goal as director is to make sure the residents of the towns we serve are aware that we are moving,” he said. “We try to reach as many people as possible through the media and out website. I don’t want a for-sale sign out in front until our chapter sign has been moved to the church.”
The present plan is to resume CPR, First Aid and Youth programs by June 1 in the church building and to start the CNA and Home Health Aide course in July.
“Thanks to two local foundations and patrons, we will have the capability of purchasing new state-of-the-art equipment for the CNA program when we resume classes,” Rubin said.
State Sen. Michael R. Knapik said in a prepared text that the Greater Westfield area “has been incredibly fortunate to maintain a physical presence for the American Red Cross over the past several years, but it has certainly been mutually beneficial relationship.”
“Westfield has a history of providing outstanding support to our local chapter, both financially and in the Red Cross tradition of volunteerism,” Knapik said. “I am very happy St. John’s Church and the Red Cross have come to an agreement that will allow the Red Cross to continue service to the Westfield community. Whether its blood drives, CNA or babysitting classes, or disaster relief, the Red Cross provides outstanding services to our community.”
Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said recently that having a local Red Cross Chapter positions the city to be better able to procure assets in emergency and disaster situations.
“The long and short of it is that we don’t want this (local chapter) to be gone from Westfield,” he said.
