Best Renovation Project

The Riverside ClinicThe Third Ward's only walk-in medical clinic closed in 2002 because of toxic mold and a dangerous roof that needed structural repairs, forcing hundreds of low-income and uninsured folks to seek care in crowded emergency rooms. Now, two years later (and after a bitter turf war at City Hall), the bigger, better and safer Riverside Clinic is set to open in January. The renovation remedied the mold problem and made the digs a lot nicer, but that's not all that's undergone a revamp. With federal funds now allocated to the clinic, Riverside will offer mental health care and preventive services along with primary and dental care. A state-of-the-art dialysis center (something desperately needed in the Houston area) will be completed later in the year.