Construction is officially under way at a 20,000-square-foot expansion at the federally funded Newark Community Health Center, U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) said today.

The senator and other officials gathered at the construction site, on Broadway in Newark, for a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion, according to a news release from Lautenberg’s office. The project is being aided by $6.4 million in federal funding secured by the state’s senior senator.

The Newark Community Health Center, one of 115 across the state, provides health care services for uninsured and medically underserved populations in Newark, according to the news release. The facility and affiliated locations throughout Essex County serve more than 19,000 patients annually.