By Dave Ranney
KHI News Service
GraceMed Health Clinic, Wichita, has been awarded a federal New Access Point grant that’s expected to generate more than $1.5 million over the next three years. The clinic provides medical and dental care for the region’s unemployed, uninsured and underinsured adults and children. (Dave Ranney/KHI)
WICHITA, Sept. 26
GraceMed Health Clinic in Wichita has been awarded a federal New Access Point grant, making it eligible for more than $1.5 million in federal funds over the next three years.
“We”re excited,” said GraceMed Executive Director Dave Sanford.
Awarded by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, New Access Point grants are designed to expand health care services for the nation”s poor and uninsured.
Sanford predicted the safety-net clinic will use some of the money to hire “another doctor and a couple of mid-level providers,” able to handle an additional 10,000 to 11,000 patient visits a year.
“We”ll be having a strategic planning session in November to talk about where we want to invest based on some community-needs surveys and on some of our existing strengths,” Sanford said.
Founded in 1979, GraceMed operates a main clinic and two satellite clinics. All three provide medical and dental services.
The satellite clinics are next door to elementary schools in low-income neighborhoods.
“Our Healthy Children Clinic has been on the campus of Lincoln Elementary School for 12 years now,” Sanford said. “It”s at capacity every day. We see somewhere between 400 and 600 kids a month.
“We opened our Evergreen Neighborhood Clinic next door to Cloud Elementary School two summers ago,” he said. “It”s at capacity, too.”
A third satellite clinic is due to open in July 2008 in an elementary under construction in northeast Wichita.
“It doesn”t have a name yet,” Sanford said.
The thinking behind the satellite clinics, he said, is simple: “Health care is a key component of education. If kids aren”t healthy, how can they learn?”
Combined, the three clinics log more than 30,000 patient visits a year.
GraceMed”s grant was one of 41 announced late last month by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. The grants are designed to increase access to primary and preventive care in underserved areas.
GraceMed expects to receive $483,333 this year, $650,000 in each of the next two years.
“As long as Congress continues to appropriate funds for the community health center movement and as long as we remain a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), it”s my understanding the grant is renewable from year to year,” Sanford said.
Earlier this year, HRSA awarded New Access Point grants to:
* PrairieStar Health Center, Hutchinson
$555,067 (first year).
* Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, Pittsburg
$716,667 (first year).
In Kansas, nine of the state”s 34 safety net clinics have achieved FQHC status. All nine have received New Access Point grants.
Health Ministries Clinic in Newton recently was named a “FQHC look alike,” meaning its services are comparable to those at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) but not developed enough to be in the running for a New Access Point grant.
“Look alikes” are eligible for at-cost reimbursement for services provided to Medicaid patients.
Before last month, GraceMed had been a “look alike” for 13 years. Health Ministries Clinic is now the state”s only “look alike.”
“To be a “look alike” you have to reach a certain standard. You compete with yourself,” said Health Ministries executive director Tina Payne. “But New Access Point grants are competitive. It”s a more robust process. A lot of clinics don”t get them.”
With support from the Sunflower Foundation, Health Ministries and GraceMed share a physician”s position.
“We”re thrilled that GraceMed got the grant,” Payne said. “It means they”ll be able to serve more people, which
I don”t mean to sound simplistic here, but that”s their mission. It”s our mission. It”s what we”re all about.”
She added: “There is definitely enough need out there for everybody.”
-Dave Ranney is a staff writer for KHI News Service, which specializes in coverage of health issues facing Kansans. He can be reached at
dranney@khi.org
or at 785-233-5443, ext. 128.