ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The people of Bithlo, in east Orange County, are finally getting closer to having expanded healthcare options.

Construction is underway right now on a bigger, permanent clinic that will be practically in their backyard. Neighbors who will use it say it can't come soon enough as they currently use a trailer as a medical clinic.

The goal was to have it up and running last year, but there were expected and unexpected delays that threw a wrench in the project. Spectrum News 13 saw firsthand that the building is going up, and families can't wait.

"I could walk here, I could take the trail which is across and come straight through," said Courtney Marie Carter.

Carter and her family have been going to the brown and tan trailer next to the construction site for many years. It is convenient and beats what it was like before it was there. Getting to the doctor or dentist was a long drive for Carter, who says it is usually a 30- to 45-minute trip.

The trailer only has limited space and healthcare options, but that's finally changing. The president and CEO of Community Health Centers took Spectrum News 13 on a tour of the new concrete block building. Not much is there now, but everything is planned out.

"Every single room is laid out, every single corner, every countertop, everything is already picked, planned, all ready to roll," said Dr. Debra Andree.

Getting to the point of building wasn't easy though. The ground was broken in April, 2019, but there were a number of delays after that. The foreseen one was the pandemic. There were interruptions in the supply chain and workforce.

"And then unforeseen delays such as the need for additional parking, and the filling in of (this) area that used to hold water," Andree said. "So we had to re-engineer and redesign some of that."

Walls are finally up, pipes are going in, and the building is slated to open in December, and Carter could not be more excited.

"I don't have to drive for a dentist no more, I won't have to drive for anything," she said. "My son needs to be ... he's supposed to be coming for behavioral here. It's too far for me to drive, but there's gonna be one here, which is even better."

The clinic will also have pediatric, family medicine, optometry, pharmacy services and a lab. Community Health Centers invested more than $2 million, with AdventHealth giving $500,000.