Although the official announcement came a couple of weeks ago and construction has already begun, Aspirus Keweenaw made it official Monday with groundbreaking ceremonies at the site of a new clinic in Houghton.

We applaud Aspirus and support the new clinic on several levels.

As our area slowly makes its recovery from the Great Recession, any new construction is welcome news. And construction of the magnitude of the 18,000 square foot, $5.4 million facility is a financial shot in the arm that will reverberate throughout the entire Western Upper Peninsula for some time to come.

In addition, the new clinic, according to hospital officials, will create new jobs, always a positive.

But the positives go far beyond jobs and economic development. Health care has become a major issue in the country, on the local, regional, state and national levels. As the nation heads toward further implementation of the Affordable Care Act, it’s reassuring to see a major player such as Aspirus take the proactive approach with a new clinic in Houghton.

Not only will the clinic serve the current Aspirus client base, but with increased examination rooms and expanded services from oncology, pediatrics, diagnostic imaging and more, medical care offered in the city of Houghton will expand exponentially. We acknowledge and appreciate this vote of confidence in the city of Houghton and surrounding area and look forward to an increased presence by Aspirus.