Health Center Program - SERVICE AREA ID NUMBER, CITY, AND STATE: ID # 138 ; Wilkesboro, NC DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT: Established as an arm of the Wilkes County Government in 1954, the Wilkes County Health Department is located in western North Carolina and expands access to public health services for residents of Wilkes County. In recognition of the significant unmet need for affordable primary care services targeting medically underserved residents, the Wilkes County Government applied for and received federal funding to establish the Wilkes Community Health Center (WCHC). WCHC launched in 2017, and operates as a public-private partnership with the health department to expand access to care for a significant number of patients. In 2017, its inaugural year as a FQHC, WCHC served 2,971 patients. In 2024, WCHC served 3,484 patients, an increase of 17.3% (UDS, 2017 and 2024). As an existing health department and HRSA grantee with a long-standing presence in the community, WCHC is well positioned to continue providing access to comprehensive primary and preventive health services for the medically underserved populations of Wilkes County. NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED: Data from the service area emphasize the need for comprehensive primary and preventive health services that are accessible for underserved populations. Within the service area, 40.5% of residents live with incomes at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG). Wilkes County is a designated health professional shortage area (HPSA) for primary, dental, and mental health care, and a designated medically underserved area (MUA) (Find Shortage Areas, HRSA, 2025). The population to provider ratios in the service area demonstrates a severe shortage of primary care, dental, and mental health providers, presenting a significant barrier to care (HPSA Data, HRSA Data Warehouse, 2025; County Health Rankings, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation [RWJF], 2025). PROPOSED SERVICES: WCHC operates through one fixed site and a mobile unit, and directly provides a broad array of direct services including general primary care, lab, screenings, coverage for emergencies, voluntary family planning, immunizations, well child services, gynecological care, preventive dental, pharmaceutical services, case management, eligibility assistance, health education, outreach, transportation, translation, mental health, substance use disorder services, and nutrition. WCHC also maintains collaborative relationships to provide referral access to other services such as diagnostic laboratory, diagnostic radiology, screenings, coverage for emergencies, prenatal care, intrapartum care, postpartum care, pharmaceutical services, translation, additional dental services, mental health services, and substance use disorder services to which patients would otherwise have limited access. Proposed staffing to support project implementation includes 4.0 FTE nurse practitioners, 2.0 FTE physician assistants, 6.50 FTE nurses, 2.0 FTE other medical staff (MOA, Clinical Assistant), 2.0 FTE lab staff, 0.25 FTE nutrition director, 1.20 FTE case managers, and 3.50 FTE interpretation staff. Clinical supervision will be provided by two 0.50 FTE Co-Medical Directors. POPULATION GROUPS TO BE SERVED: WCHC prioritizes services to medically underserved populations in the service area. This includes patients living with incomes at or below 200% FPG. The health center projects that at least 3,484 unduplicated patients will be served annually by 12/31/2028 as specified in the Service Area Announcement Table.
