Ryan White Title III HIV Capacity Development and Planning Grants - Primary Health Care, Inc. (PHC) has been providing HRSA supported medical and dental services to the underserved in Des Moines, IA (Polk County) since 1981. In 1988, PHC became a Health Care for the Homeless grantee, adding homeless advocacy and supportive services (HUD) in 2000. In 1991, PHC began providing HIV care as a Ryan White Part C grantee. In 2001, PHC expanded services to a new community in Marshalltown, IA (Marshall County). In 2004, PHC began operating a pharmacy in Des Moines and a year later, we added dental services in Marshalltown. In 2008, PHC added behavioral health services and now operates an integrated primary care/behavioral health program with services available onsite at each of our full-time clinic locations. Since 2003, PHC has completed facility expansions at each of our medical and dental clinic facilities in Des Moines and Marshalltown. In 2013, PHC acquired the AIDS Project of Central Iowa including Part B case management and CDC prevention services and received funding as a Teaching Health Center with 30 internal medicine slots. Additionally, we began operating a fifth full-time site in Des Moines in partnership with Mercy Medical Center’s family medicine residency program. In 2014, PHC expanded to another new community in Ames, IA (Story County). In 2017, PHC added a new medical clinic in western suburb of Des Moines (Polk County) and added its fourth dental clinic located in Des Moines, IA. The target population for PHC is the low-income, uninsured and underinsured individuals, especially those living in medically underserved areas or designated as medically underserved populations, in Polk, Marshall and Story County. Our services have been designed to meet the major health care needs of the communities we serve including chronic disease (diabetes, cardiovascular, asthma, obesity), prenatal and obstetrical care, HIV, mental health and substance abuse, homelessness, and access to affordable medications. Based on the needs of our communities, PHC offers a spectrum of medical, and dental services including family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, OB, Title X services, substance abuse, behavioral health, oral medicine, pharmacy, lab, and x-ray. PHC patients have access to specialty and inpatient care through a network of safety-net providers. Enabling services are available to help patients with entitlements, case management, transportation, translation, and patient education. PHC employs a total of 425 employees. PHC has 7 medical clinics and 3 dental clinics, and 2 satellite clinics located in the Des Moines school system. Additionally, PHC operates a mobile health unit, which serves PHC’s entire service area. In 2022, PHC provided 94,288 medical encounters and served 30,760 unduplicated medical patients, 9,483 behavioral health encounters, and served 4,115 unduplicated behavioral health patients. Through this application, PHC proposes to improve our telehealth services by purchasing better equipment, and faster internet connections. The project will increase efficiency, safety and access and promote the integration of medical, HIV case management and dental services.
