Santa Claus came early to Stephen D. Ratcliffe Community Health Center.

It received a new roof from several contractors who joined together to present the gift to the center.

The 30-year old building serves about 1,200 families in the Rose Park area, including about 600 mothers per year and also is the site of about 500 baby deliveries each year, said Dexter Pearce, executive director of the Association for Utah Community Health. The clinic's leaking roof could prevent the patients from receiving sufficient care, he said.

"All the money goes to service, so it's a bit of a challenge to maintain the building," Pearce said.

AUCH is a nonprofit organization that runs on some federal funding, state funding, donations from Intermountain Health Care and private donations. Most of its clinics' patients either live nearby or are community members who have little or no insurance coverage.

"Having a safe building is important for the patients so they could get a quality care," said Gerry Marty, a Murray resident who has been a patient at one of Utah's five clinics for 15 years and a board member for the past 12 years.

The project would have cost the center about $30,000, so now the clinic can save that money and use it toward health care for patients, said Alan Pruhs, associate director of the AUCH.

For every $1 donated, the center saves $3, so the donation is actually worth $90,000, Pearce said.

Ivory Homes, ABC Supply, Collins Roofing Inc. and McNeil Group Inc. combined financial and labor forces to provide the roof materials and installation to the center. The renovation began Dec. 18 and was slated to take several days to complete because of the weather conditions.

"It's been a challenging year for a lot of people, so giving back to the community, especially at this time of year, [makes us happy]," said Steve Herman, chief operating officer for Ivory Homes.

"The owner [of Collings Roofing Inc.] is a believer when you've been blessed, you give back to others," said Chris Bowman of Collings Roofing Inc.

The health center also needs new carpet and parking lot improvements, Pearce said.