Monday, May 19, 2025
5/19/2025
Fiscal Year 2025 Expanded Hours. - From 2019 to 2023, Denver Community Health Services’ (DCHS) 41 federally qualified health center (FQHC) sites experienced growth of 13.4%, with dentistry visits increasing by 55%. CHS includes full range primary care services including Family Medicine, General Internal Medicine, General Pediatrics, Dental, and Obstetrics and Gynecology. CHS also has multiple delivery methods including Community Health Centers, School-Based Clinics and Mobile Health Centers. Extending hours at our CHS sites has been an effective strategy for accommodating patient growth because it enables increased capacity without capital projects to build new clinics or additional exam rooms in existing clinics. Furthermore, extending hours beyond normal business hours meets patients’ needs by offering access that is aligned with patients’ schedules. Despite work completed to date, there continue to be opportunities to expand hours at multiple sites. The goal is to maximize the benefit of extended hours for our patients. Feedback from providers, staff and patients has shown that it’s important to have a comprehensive suite of services available during hours outside of normal business hours so that patients don’t have to come back for services during business hours. This proposal aims to make available the same services to patients getting care during extended hours as normal business hours. The following is a list of proposed staff needed by service during extended hours: • Medical: Medical Providers, Medical Assistants, Registered Nurse, Patient Access Specialist, Integrated Behavioral Health Consultant, Care Navigator, and Social Worker • Dental: Dentist, Dental Hygienist, Dental Assistant, and Patient Access Specialist • Pharmacy: Pharmacist and Pharmacy Technicians • Laboratory Services: Lab Technician • Environmental Services (EVS): Custodian • Security: Security Officer Lowry Family Health Center (Lowry), located at 1001 Yosemite St., Denver, CO 80230, is a full-service Family Medicine clinic offering medical, dental, pharmacy, and lab services. Lowry had the highest number of patient visits of all DCHS’ Family Medicine clinics in 2023, and has unmet demand due to limited space and staff. Lowry does not currently have weekend hours. The proposal is to expand hours for medical, pharmacy, lab, EVS, and security on Saturdays to meet new patient demand and increase flexibility for new and existing patients. Dental services would expand hours on weekdays and weekends to meet their excess demand, and would include EVS and security. The Adult Dental and OMFS Clinic, located at 660 N. Bannock St STE 7770, Denver, CO 80204, had the highest number of visits of all dental clinic in 2023. The proposal is to expand hours on both weekdays and weekends to meet new patient and existing patient demand. The goal of this proposal is to expand hours to meet increasing patient demand while offering more flexibility and options to patients, while taking into account the needs of our providers and staff so that both can feel satisfied knowing that a full suite of services is available to meet the care needs of patients.
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).