Community health center HealthFirst broke ground on its 78,000-square-foot facility at 387 Quarry St. in Fall River.

The project includes the gut renovation of an existing single-story building with a mezzanine, according to a statement. The property was formerly owned by Quaker Manufacturing.

"This once-in-a-lifetime renovation opportunity will provide HealthFirst Family Care Center’s patients and staff with a state-of-the-art healthcare facility," said HealthFirst’s CEO Julie Almond. "We are proud of our selection of Skanska USA, Columbia Construction and Steffian Bradley Architects to successfully guide us. Their commitment to our mission of service to the residents of the Greater Fall River community and their desire for project excellence is outstanding."

This project was given an $11.5 million grant from the Facility Investment Program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, according to a statement. The estimated construction cost is $8 million.

Once the new building is complete, the health center will move from its 10,000-square-foot facility at 102 County St.