Fiscal Year 2023 Capital Assistance for Hurricane Response and Recovery Efforts (CARE) - Project Abstract Grant Number: HRSA-23-122, Capital Assistance for Hurricane Response and Recovery Efforts (CARE) Project Title: MCHS CARE Project “Higher Ground Dr. Michael McDuffie, Ph. - Chief Executive Officer Metropolitan Community Health Services, Inc. 120 W Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Washington, NC, 27889 Office: 252-644-7002, Cell: 910-578-7809, Fax: 252-940-0924 Email: mmcduffie@agapechc.org Web Site: agapechc.org Grant funds requested: $490,000 (3-Year performance period Sept 1, 2023 – Aug 31, 2026) Metropolitan Community Health Services, Inc. (MCHS) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that provides integrated primary medical, dental, pharmacy and behavioral health services including Medicated Assisted Treatment to vulnerable, low-income populations of eastern North Carolina on a sliding fee scale. MCHS serves five rural counties located eastern North Carolina. These counties include Beaufort, Martin, Tyrrell, Washington and Hyde. MCHS currently has centers located in Washington, Plymouth and Williamston, North Carolina. With over 20 years of experience serving vulnerable, low-income populations, MCHS has gained an in-depth understanding of the population in eastern North Carolina. Because MCHS is a Primary Care Center, it represents the patients’ “Medical Home” from which all health care services are coordinated. MCHS has goals to eliminate healthcare inequities in Eastern North Carolina, to employ a patient-centered approach, provide access to high quality, affordable primary care, dental care, behavioral health, preventive, and wellness services to people of all ages regardless of their financial or insurance status or the ability to pay. MCHS is requesting $490,000 as a portion of the funding necessary to build a new facility to relocate the Washington, NC site due to issues with flooding. MCHS is proposing to construct a new service site in Washington, NC. Located in a flood zone, the original site of Metropolitan Community Health Center is two city blocks from the banks of the Pamlico River. Built-in the 1960s, the current facility has experienced flooding several times during hurricanes and tropical storms. Most recently, Hurricane Ian flooded the parking lot and the basement of the facility, interrupting patient care services. Anticipating the necessity to relocate the center due to flooding issues, space allocation for new services, and proximity to collaborating partners in the community, MCHS purchased seven acres of land as a location. The location, four miles from the current site, is not in a flood zone and is near the local hospital, the EMS, and the Beaufort County health department. All current services will relocate to the new facility, accommodating more patients. MCHS provides primary care services, dental health services, community services, Behavioral health services, pharmacy, Urgent/immediate care for walk-ins, MAT services, DWI groups, and DOT physicals at the Washington, NC location. Partnering with Emergency Management Services to provide emergency shelter during storms, the new facility will also serve as a storm shelter. Also, during emergent occurrences, MCHS will staff the center to assist EMS and provide care to those seeking a haven. MCHS proposes constructing a 30,000-square-foot structure to provide primary care services, including behavioral health, to its patients in a “flood-safe” space with adequate space to add pediatric services and future growth of ancillary services. To add a pediatric wing, MCHS was awarded funding from HRSA to assist in this endeavor ($557,277). Other funding required to complete the project will be procured from private foundations (Cannon Foundation, Kate B. Reynolds, Golden Leaf) and loans obtained through USDA, programs certified by the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, and the Health Center Facility Loan Guarantee Program.
