Sunday, May 18, 2025
5/18/2025
Health Center Program - Project Title: Amite County Medical Services, Inc. FY 2025 Service Area Competition Service Area Identification Number: 092 Award Number: H80CS00609 Applicant Organization Name: Amite County Medical Services, Inc. Project Director: Sally Toler, Executive Director Proposed Project: Amite County Medical Services, Inc. (ACMS) proposes to continue to provide access to quality primary and preventive medical and dental services to the uninsured, under insured and medically indigent residents of the Amite and Pike County area regardless of their ability to pay. ACMS has been providing high quality primary medical care to the residents of Amite and Pike County, Mississippi, and surrounding areas, since 1980. Dental services were added in 1982. ACMS proposes to serve 4,000 patients in calendar year 2026. Proposed Services: ACMS currently employs one full time physician, four full time family nurse practitioners and a part time pediatrician along with support staff in the medical clinics. One full time dentist, one part time dentist, one part time dental hygienist, and support staff are employed in the dental clinic. A part-time Licensed Professional Counselor provides mental health services at both medical locations and a part-time registered dietician/nutritionist provides education as needed. A part-time Social Worker also staffs both medical clinics. ACMS has two Mobile Units that are used primarily to provide services for the students and staff at the Amite County Schools. Needs to be addressed: There is a strong need for both preventive and primary care medical and dental services in the target population. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are 333,500 total diabetes cases in the state of Mississippi. Adults 20 or older with diabetes are 40% more likely to have untreated cavities than similar adults without diabetes. Treating periodontal disease significantly improves blood sugar levels among people with diabetes compared to no treatment or routine care. During a Needs Assessment conducted by ACMS in 2022, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and heart disease were ranked highest as health issues most impacting the area. In response to this finding, ACMS development a Population Health Management Program that supports workflows to address these areas which include: referral monitoring, data analysis, patient education, reporting and outreach. The Licensed Nutritionist/Dietitian continues to provide much needed nutrition education in assisting those patients with chronic diseases related to diet and obesity. Likewise, during the Needs Assessment, these groups were also asked what additional services they would like to see in their community. It was in response to this data that ACMS hired a Social Worker to assist patients with needs related to housing, food insecurity, transportation and others. Mental health effects were also surveyed. According to the data, an average of 32.57% of ACMS patients had experienced some type of mental health issue in the prior seven days. ACMS expanded mental health services by increasing the hours of the Licensed Professional Counselor. Target population: Amite County consists of isolated, rural communities and according to the United States Census Bureau 2022 estimates is made up of a population of 12,619 residents. Pike County is a larger urban area, including the city of McComb, with a population of 39,644. Persons 65 years and older make up 26.1% of the population in Amite County and 17.8% in Pike County. Many people under 65 do not have health insurance. While those over 65 may have Medicare, it does not pay for dental services leaving many elderly patients without dental insurance and unable to pay for needed dental care. Across the two counties, an average of 15.2% of residents do not have health insurance. This is above the state and national averages of 13.1% and 9.3% respectively.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).