Fiscal Year 2023 Capital Assistance for Hurricane Response and Recovery Efforts (CARE) - Escambia Community Clinics, Inc. d/b/a Community Health Northwest Florida (CHNWF) seeks FY 2023 Capital Assistance for Hurricane Response and Recovery Efforts (CARE) funding (HRSA #23-122) for two connected, projects at the main service and administrative site at 2315 W. Jackson Street. This project aims to expand the in-house pharmacy and consolidate the pharmacy services into one place as well as build two new offices and complete the roof to mitigate water and termite damage at the main service site located at 2315 W. Jackson Street. The health center completed a full renovation of 2315 W. Jackson Street and the site was validated in December 2017. This site is located 1.3 miles from Pensacola Bay, a major body of water emptying into the Gulf of Mexico, however the building sits on high ground, not in a flood zone. This main health center site houses adult primary care appointment clinics, pediatrics, pharmacy, women’s care, case management, laboratory, x-ray, mammography, and administrative offices. In 2017, the health center received $1,000,000 in HRSA Health Infrastructure Investment Program (HIIP) funding to assist with renovation expenses. Because of HIIP funding requirements, the health center has already completed additional NEPA Compliance Supplemental Documentation in addition to required EID forms for the 2315 W. Jackson Street location. In 2017, the health center reported seeing 40,421 patients in its annual UDS Report. For 2022, the health center saw 53,030 patients. Currently, the health center has four in-house pharmacies located within Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties, including the one located inside Jackson Street. That pharmacy was opened at 834 square feet as a start-up pharmacy. Since then, the health center has added many other services and visits have increased. The pharmacy has no storage space or waiting room space and the patient assistance program (PAP) services are located in a different area. In 2022, CHNWF relocated the optometry department to its new site at 1380 N. Palafox Street in October 2022 so that space has been empty since. The health center intends to expand the current space into the offices and hallway space where Optometry services were once provided. Demolishing the walls in between those two spaces and reconfiguring the pharmacy footprint will open the Pharmacy to 1,156 square footage, combining pharmacy and PAP services in one location. The project will require moving some thermostats due to demolition and rebuild but no other HVAC changes are anticipated. There will be upgrades to the electrical and plumbing systems including the alarm system set up and low voltage for new computers and phones. Additionally, that portion of the project will require moving two to three of the offices located adjacent to the old optometry space. This project includes building new offices at the front of the building, where two concrete pads already exist. When the original renovation to the Jackson Street building occurred, a walkway was created to the front entrance with a covering that did not connect to the exterior of the building. Because of this space between the cover and the building, water is able to flow down the roof of the building and leak into the basement and sit stagnant. Being located in Florida we are subject to many kinds of weather events including but not limited to hurricanes, flash flooding and frequent thunderstorms. Over the years, those weather events have led way to the water damage creating mold and termites have burrowed in the walls. There is water intrusion to that area near the front of the building and in the basement. This project will repair that damage as well as mitigate damage done by future weather events by redirecting where the water will flow, further strengthening the building integrity, in addition to assisting in the expansion of the pharmacy space. The new walkway cover will connect to the building will be approximately 60 sf.
