Congressionally Directed Spending for Construction Projects - Address: 540 E. Artesia Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90805 Project Director Name: Elisa Nicholas, MD, MSPH, CEO Contact Phone Numbers: Office (562) 264-3551 Fax (562) 216-6197 Email Address: enicholas@tccfamilyhealth.org Website Address: www.tccfamilyhealth.org Funds Requested: $375,000 The Children’s Clinic, “Serving Children & Their Families”, dba TCC Family Health (TCC) Community Project Funding / Congressionally Directed Spending project is to provide an upgraded Clean Air HVAC Filtration System and Perinatal Dental Program in North Long Beach at TCC Family Health – Artesia located at 540 E. Artesia Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90805. For over 80 years, TCC has been a trusted provider of comprehensive health and wellness services for the most vulnerable populations and disenfranchised areas of greater Long Beach. As the primary safety-net provider, TCC serves almost 40,000 patients through 140,000 visits each year at TCC’s 13 sites and mobile medical clinic. After the COVID-19 pandemic began, in order to keep our patients safe from COVID-19, TCC shifted well-child and perinatal visits to this site specifically designated for symptom free patients only. Today it continues to be extremely important to have both clean indoor air quality that is filtered, as well as dental care on-site for both perinatal patients, infants and children. This funding will complement the renovation we recently made to this site that is located in a very old building. With previous federal funding we redesigned the old clinic space to include dental space specifically for peripartum women, but there are no other sources of funding available for the dental equipment and HVAC system. This project, to install a new upgraded HCAI Certified HVAC system and to purchase and install equipment for a 3 Dental Operatory for the Artesia location in North Long Beach, CA will directly benefit the short-term and long-term health benefits of the constituents of California’s 44th Congressional District through the provision of a clean filtered healthy air and dental care facility for prenatal, infants and children who are patients at TCC’s site located in North Long Beach, CA. Three years ago, TCC acquired this site because another health clinic was closing their doors. This was an older building with an aged air filtration system that had not been maintained well over the years which created poor indoor air quality. Located in the low-income and diverse area of North Long Beach in the zip code of 90805 and adjacent to the 710 and 91 freeways and many industries creating toxic pollution. By upgrading the HVAC air filtration system, patients will benefit from both short-term and long-term health benefits by protecting them from breathing in toxins that are omitted in the air due to the close proximity of the 710 and 91 freeways. Residents living in the vicinity of the 710 freeway also have high rates of asthma and other health issues, including cancer, diabetes and premature birth. Patients, especially pregnant women and young children, need and deserve to breathe the cleanest air possible. Additionally, pregnancy is known to make women more prone to periodontal (gum) disease and cavities. Oral health is considered an important part of prenatal care, given that poor oral health during pregnancy can lead to poor health outcomes for the mother and baby. Having dental care onsite ensures prenatal patients have access to the dental care they need as well as provides dental health care for their new babies and children. Ultimately, this project will provide dignity and address health and environmental inequities in this underserved area by ensuring our patients’ safety from harmful viruses such as COVID-19 and influenza, as well as air pollution are being removed, while providing a comfortable and clean environment to receive health, dental and wellness services to perinatal patients, infants and children.
