Sunday, May 4, 2025
5/4/2025
Fiscal Year 2025 Expanded Hours. - Project Title: Cherokee Health Systems FY25 Expanded Hours Project Director: Parinda Khatri, PhD Contact Phone Number: 865-765-0304 Contact Email Address: Parinda.Khatri@cherokeehealth.com Website: https://www.cherokeehealth.com Health Center Program Grant Number: HRSA-25-084 Address: 2018 Western Avenue City & State: Knoxville, TN 37921-5718 The mission of Cherokee Health Systems (CHS) is to enhance the health and well-being of east Tennessee residents by providing high-quality, integrated, comprehensive, equitable, and person-centered care. CHS operates 19 brick-and-mortar clinics, one mobile clinic, and 18 school-based clinics. As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), CHS offers family practice, OB-GYN, pediatrics, dental, vision, pharmaceutical services, optometry, cardiology, dermatology, psychiatry and a variety of behavioral health services to all patients regardless of their ability to pay. In 2023, CHS served 65,960 unduplicated patients. As a leader among community health centers, CHS recognizes the value of expanding hours to improve access to comprehensive, integrated primary care and behavioral health services throughout Knox County and Sevier County in Tennessee where limited transportation, financial resources, and time serve as barriers. CHS proposes to increase clinical service hours at 19 sites (16 more hours via one Mobile Clinic and 90 more hours via 18 school-based clinics) for a total of 106 additional hours per week. Increasing Mobile Clinic hours from 24 to 40 each week will improve healthcare access to minoritized and under-resourced populations in Knox County (and surrounding counties, as indicated) for whom social drivers of health negatively impact their ability to access care at brick-and-mortar clinics. CHS currently provides 35 hours of primary care services to students, faculty, and staff each week in 18 school-based clinics (SBCs) in Sevier County, Tennessee. In 2023, the Sevier County School System expressed interest in expanded hours to better meet the needs of its school community since teachers were busy during clinic hours and many caregivers in this rural county who work in tourism, factories, or other manual labor struggled to take time away from employment to keep healthcare appointments. CHS proposes to add one hour per day for a total of five additional hours per week at each of the 18 SBCs to meet this need; after the expansion, each SBC will offer 40 hours of primary care each week. The proposed services offered through HRSA Expanded Hours funding include integrated primary behavioral health services through the Mobile Clinic and primary care services at CHS’ 18 in-scope SBCs. The populations to be served include minoritized groups, pediatric patients, individuals living and working in rural communities, agricultural workers, and those experiencing homelessness. The racial and ethnic makeup of CHS patients is 22.4% Hispanic/Latino, 12% Black/African American, and 61.1% Non-Hispanic White. More than 72% live at or below the Federal Poverty Level, and more than 16% are best served in a language other than English. Of the patients served in 2023, 62.8% were women and 44.7% were children. Project activities include: - Leveraging community partnerships and conducting outreach to inform community members of the new clinic schedules, - Expanding staff time and capacity to accommodate extended hours. The goals to be achieved through these activities are: - Increasing the number of new patient visits, - Increasing the number of patients, including pediatric patients, who receive behaviorally enhanced primary care services, - Increasing the number of primary care visits at SBCs.
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).