Fiscal Year 2025 Expanded Hours. - Project Abstract Summary Project Title: Bee Busy Wellness Center – Expanded Hours of Operation Applicant Name: Bee Busy Wellness Center Contact Name: Norman Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer, Project Director Congressional District(s): TX-009, TX-018, TX-007, TX-035, TX-002 Mailing Address: 8785 West Bellfort, Houston, TX 77031-2403 Contact Details: Voice 713-771-2292; E-Mail Address: ceo@mybbwc.org Funding Requested: $1,000,000.00 Current Funding: HRSA, HHS, HHSC, HHD History of the Organization, Community to be Served and Target Population: Bee Busy Wellness Center (BBWC) is a Community Based Organization, a Federally Qualified Health Center and is accredited by The Joint Commissions offering high quality primary and preventative care to the Houston community since 2010. Bee Busy Wellness Center demonstrates a solid commitment to the community reaching the underserved, providing high quality services, and building organizational sustainability. BBWC offers medical, dental and mental health services to individuals and families in the Greater Houston area, free from stigma and discrimination, and without regard to ability to pay. BBWC intends to increase the number of hours providing its health center approved scope of practice at its flagship health center approved site, by ten (10) additional hours during the normal week and by ten (10) additional hours on the weekends, including four (4) on Saturdays and six (6) on Sundays, totaling at least ten (10) additional hours of operation per week, at each health center site. That is an additional 20 hours per week of expanded access to care. This will increase the number of patients receiving primary and preventive care services, reduce barriers including gaps in the service area, improve health related and non-medical drivers, decrease stigma and discrimination, and provide improved patient outcomes. The additional hours of operation will feature hours of operations for in person healthcare services and include medical and psychiatric/mental health services. Through an environment of compliance and continuous quality improvement activities, this expansion project will address various identified gaps in access in and throughout the service area and bring the much-needed resource of expanded hours to the community. The objectives to be accomplished by the end of the project period are: 1) To decrease service area gaps by expanded the number of hours services may be accessed; 2) improve patient outcome through availability 3) decrease barriers to access through in-person healthcare; 4) enhance the patient experience; and 5) decrease the burden of area emergency departments. Through adding additional staff to fill the shifts at each health center location, Bee Busy Wellness Center intends to hire three PRN Nurse Practitioners, three part time medical assistants, three part time patient service representatives, three part time eligibility specialists, and extending the hours of other workers. BBWC attests that all locations operated by the organization providing the required services will be operated in compliance with Expanded Hours requirements.
