HHS awards Affordable Care Act funds to the St. Johns River Rural Health Network

Macclenny, Fl (September 19, 2011) : U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced awards totaling $10 million to aid 129 organizations across the country that would like to become community health centers. These funds, made available by the Affordable Care Act, support organizations’ development as a future health center.

Health centers provide comprehensive, high-quality preventive and primary health care to patients regardless of their ability to pay; charges for services are set according to income.
“Supporting the development of new community health centers will help us meet the healthcare needs of millions while supporting local jobs and economic growth in communities nationwide,” said Secretary Sebelius.

Community health centers are also an integral source of local employment and economic growth in many underserved and low-income communities. Since the beginning of 2009, health centers across the country have added more than 18,600 new full-time positions in many of the nation’s most economically distressed communities. In 2010, they employed more than 131,000 staff and new funds, made available by HHS last week, will help create thousands more jobs nationwide.

The St. Johns River Rural Health Network (Rural Health Network) was awarded $79,190.00 to work with the Flagler County Health Department, Florida Hospital, Flagler, and other Flagler County health-related organizations to development The Flagler Community Health Center (Health Center). The Health Center will be a private non-profit health care center that will provide clinical services to all residents regardless of their ability to pay, through the implementation of a sliding scale fee schedule that adjust according to the individual family income.

The proposed Health Center will be located within the city of Bunnell’s current medical complex and will function within a full-service health and wellness model with the long-term goal of developing a comprehensive health and wellness Medical Campus in Bunnell, Florida.

The city’s current medical complex is located on East Highway 100, a major roadway that transverses the county from I-95 on the east through the western part of the county, thereby providing relatively easy public access to the Health Center’s services. The Health Center will occupy a former doctor’s office one block from the health department. Its approximate 2,000 square feet of space include a waiting room, three exam rooms, and an office that will require minimal interior modifications to meet the center’s specifications. The proposed location of the Health Center is also close to the Bunnell Medical Center (also occupied by Department of Children and Families), Flagler Free Clinic, Family Focus Medical Center (Adult Primary Care Clinic of Florida Hospital Flagler), Bunnell Pharmacy, and Children’s Advocacy Center—all of which will be partners in the service delivery model to ensure patient-centered care. The Health Center will operate six days each week and will be open during the early morning and evening hours to provide access for working clients. Commitment to flexible hours will be included in contractual agreements with all service providers.

The Rural Health Network is an active community-based, 501c3 non-profit organization established in 1994. The Rural Health Network serves seven counties in Florida’s northeast region with a mission to support, connect and improve the health of rural communities in Baker, Clay, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, and Volusia counties.