Friday, January 3, 2025
1/3/2025
Project Title: Expanded Hours Grant (HRSA-25-084) Applicant: Appalachian District Health District (AppHealthCare or AHC) Grant #: H80CS28970 Address: 157 Health Services Road, Sparta, NC 28675 Project Director: Jennifer Greene, Health Director/CEO Email: jen.greene@apphealth.com PH: 336-372-5641 FX: 336-372-7793 Website: www.apphealthcare.com Congressional Districts: NC-005 Pts by 12/31/25: 1,035 Funding Request: Yr1 - $500,000; Yr2 - $500,000 AHC is a stable, NCQA-PCMH accredited FQHC located in the northwest corner of North Carolina serving rural communities in Alleghany & Ashe counties. AHC is an outgrowth of the regional health department and received federal 330 funding in 2015. AHC provides a seamless continuum of care for vulnerable people that has improved the health status of its patients. In 2023, AHC served nearly 6,200 individuals & provided 20,585 medical, dental, behavioral health & substance use disorder visits. In addition, the health center assisted its patients with access to social services including food, housing, transportation and utility assistance. AHC’s primary focus is treating medically vulnerable people living under 200% FPG, who are either uninsured, underinsured or have public insurance. This demographic is reflected in the health center’s current users, of which approximately 77% live below 200% FPG, 48% are uninsured, 26% are insured through Medicaid, and 3% are low-income Medicare users. AHC works closely with community leaders and coalitions to evaluate and respond to the health needs of vulnerable populations in the service area. Through these efforts, AHC has identified significant barriers for individuals in Alleghany and Ashe counties to access primary medical care. The service area is struggling to meet the community needs for primary medical care and services. The 2024 Community Health Assessment compiled from opinion surveys, prioritized access to care as the greatest need in A lleghany County (44.8% of respondents) and Ashe County (60% of respondents). Although it is AHC’s aim to make new patient appointments available within three weeks, routine appointments within three days, and acute visits within 24 hours, based on current demand, new patient appointments are available within eight weeks in Alleghany and four weeks in Ashe; routine appointments are available within six weeks in Alleghany and three weeks in Ashe; and acute visits are available within four days in Alleghany and two days in Ashe. Further, according to post-visit survey data, only 61% of patients in Alleghany are satisfied with the ability to contact AHC after-hours, as opposed to 100% satisfaction in Ashe. Despite the apparent need, many people are unable to access care due to the lack of capacity of healthcare services in the area. With this EH funding, AHC will strengthen its ability to meet the community needs for access to primary medical care. AHC proposes to extend weekday clinic hours from 8:00am-4:45pm to 8:00pm evening closure, Monday through Thursday, while maintaining existing operating hours of 8:00am-4:45pm on Friday. In Year 1, AHC will prioritize extending evening hours at Alleghany Health Center to add 13 hours per week. By hiring a full-time primary care provider and complimentary staff to work from mid-day to 8:00pm closure, AHC will add 1,035 unduplicated patients and 3,400 medical visits annually. To support this care continuum, AHC will hire a 1.17 FTE primary care provider, 1.0 FTE RN, 1.0 FTE lab/medical assistant, 1.0 FTE front office support, and 1.0 FTE bilingual centralized scheduler. In Year 2, AHC will adopt this same evening schedule at Ashe Health Center. Through these efforts, AHC will be able to significantly expand needed access to primary care for both new and existing patients at Alleghany and Ashe Health Center sites.
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).