Boston Mountain Rural Health Center Inc

HEALTH CENTER CLUSTER

HEALTH CENTER CLUSTER

AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT FUNDING FOR HEALTH CENTERS

FY 2021 ENDING THE HIV EPIDEMIC - PRIMARY CARE HIV PREVENTION - PROJECT ABSTRACT PROJECT TITLE: BOSTON MOUNTAIN HIV EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM APPLICANT NAME: BOSTON MOUNTAIN RURAL HEALTH CENTER, INC. ADDRESS: 2265 HWY 65 NORTH, MARSHALL, ARKANSAS 72650 PROJECT DIRECTOR: DEBBIE ACKERSON, CEO EMAIL: DEBBIEACKERSON@BMRHC.NET CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS: DISTRICTS 1, 2, 3, 4 FUNDING REQUESTED: YEAR 1: $325,000, YEAR 2: $325,000 INCORPORATED IN 1994, BOSTON MOUNTAIN RURAL HEALTH CENTER, INC. (BOSTON MOUNTAIN) WAS ORGANIZED TO PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES AND IMPROVE ACCESS TO CARE FOR MEDICALLY VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS. BOSTON MOUNTAIN IS A NCQA PCMH ACCREDITED, 330 FUNDED FQHC THAT PROVIDES COMPREHENSIVE PRIMARY CARE, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND DENTAL SERVICES TO RURAL COMMUNITIES IN NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS. THE SERVICE AREA CONSISTS OF TEN RURAL COUNTIES INCLUDING CARROLL, CONWAY, MADISON, MARION, NEWTON, SEARCY, STONE, BAXTER, BOONE AND VAN BUREN. IN 2020, BOSTON MOUNTAIN TREATED 19,923 UNIQUE PATIENTS BY PROVIDING OVER 50,242 MEDICAL, 7,914 DENTAL, AND 6,340 BEHAVIORAL HEALTH VISITS. BOSTON MOUNTAIN’S TARGET POPULATION IS MEDICALLY VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS LIVING UNDER 200% FPG, WHO ARE EITHER UNINSURED, UNDERINSURED OR HAVE PUBLIC INSURANCE. IN THE SERVICE AREA, NEARLY 40% OF THE POPULATION LIVES BELOW 100% FPG, 8% ARE UNINSURED, AND 35% ARE INSURED THROUGH EITHER TRADITIONAL AR MEDICAID OR AR MEDICAID’S PRIVATE OPTION. THESE DEMOGRAPHICS ARE REFLECTED IN BOSTON MOUNTAIN’S PATIENT POPULATION. TO SUPPORT ENDING THE HIV EPIDEMIC IN THE US, BOSTON MOUNTAIN IS REQUESTING GRANT FUNDING IN THE AMOUNT OF $325,000 FOR EACH YEAR. FUNDING WILL BE USED TO DEVELOP, IMPLEMENT AND INTEGRATE AN HIV SCREENING AND TREATMENT PROGRAM THAT WILL IDENTIFY HIGH RISK PATIENTS AND HIV POSITIVE CASES, AND PROVIDE IMMEDIATE REFERRAL FOR EARLY INTERVENTION, HIV TREATMENT, PRIMARY CARE, ORAL HEALTH CARE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. BOSTON MOUNTAIN WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SERVICES, INCLUDING TRANSPORTATION, OUTREAC H, MARKETING, CASE MANAGEMENT, MEDICATION ASSISTANCE, HIV/STD TESTING AND RISK REDUCTION THROUGH HEALTH EDUCATION. GRANT FUNDING WILL SUPPORT 0.5 FTE PHYSICIAN TO ESTABLISH SCREENING, PREVENTION, TREATMENT, AND EDUCATION PLANS. BOSTON MOUNTAIN WILL UTILIZE CURRENT STAFF TO ESTABLISH WORKFLOWS FOR RAPID ACCESS TO HIV TESTING AND PERFORM SCREENINGS FOR ALL ELIGIBLE PATIENTS. FUNDING WILL SUPPORT 1.0 FTE PREP NAVIGATOR TO COORDINATE OUTREACH AND MARKETING, CARE MANAGEMENT, AND COORDINATE ONGOING TREATMENT PLANNING FOR HIV POSITIVE PATIENTS. GRANT FUNDS WILL SUPPORT 2.0 FTE TRANSPORTATION DRIVERS TO INCREASE ACCESS TO SERVICES FOR ALL SOCIOECONOMIC POPULATIONS. BOSTON MOUNTAIN IS REQUESTING $36,020 FOR MARKETING COSTS, AND $55,000 TO PURCHASE IN-HOME HIV TEST KITS FOR INDIVIDUALS CONCERNED ABOUT THE STIGMA RELATED TO TESTING. FUNDING WILL INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS COUNSELED AND TESTED FOR HIV, NUMBER OF PATIENTS PRESCRIBED PREP, AND NUMBER OF PATIENTS LINKED TO HIV CARE AND TREATMENT WITHIN 30 DAYS OF DIAGNOSIS.

HEALTH CENTER CORONAVIRUS AID, RELIEF, AND ECONOMIC SECURITY (CARES) ACT FUNDING

HEALTH CENTER INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT

ARRA - CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM

TELEMEDICINE GRANT

FISCAL YEAR 2025 EXPANDED HOURS. - BOSTON MOUNTAIN RURAL HEALTH CENTER, INC. (BMRHC) WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1994 AND HAS GROWN TO OPERATE 17, SOON TO BE 18, LOCATIONS SERVING 27,426 PATIENTS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES IN NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. AS A FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER, BMRHC SERVES UNDERSERVED, VULNERABLE POPULATIONS TO SUPPORT AFFORDABLE, QUALITY HEALTHCARE ACCESS. CURRENTLY, MULTIPLE BARRIERS, INCLUDING COMMUNITY GEOGRAPHY, SERVICE ACCESS, AND DISTANCE, SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT HEALTHCARE ACCESS FOR MADISON COUNTY RESIDENTS. THE RURAL SETTING, CHARACTERIZED BY GEOGRAPHICAL ISOLATION AND POVERTY, EXACERBATES HEALTH DISPARITIES. LONG COMMUTES, WITH 56% DRIVING ALONE AND OVER 30 MINUTES EACH WAY, AND THE ABSENCE OF PUBLIC TRANSIT HINDER HEALTHCARE ACCESS, ESPECIALLY FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES. ACCORDING TO THE 2022 BMRHC NEEDS ASSESSMENT, 17% OF MADISON COUNTY RESIDENTS ARE BELOW THE POVERTY LEVEL, AND 42% OF THE COUNTY POPULATION ARE LOW-INCOME. THIS LOWER INCOME LEVEL INDICATES POTENTIAL CHALLENGES IN ACCESSING HEALTHCARE DUE TO COST, ABILITY TO TAKE OFF WORK WHEN SICK OR IN NEED OF PREVENTIVE CARE, AND LIMITED AVAILABILITY IN MANY RURAL AREAS. CURRENTLY, INDIVIDUALS IN HUNTSVILLE AND SURROUNDING AREAS IN NEED OF CARE AFTER WORK HOURS MUST TRAVEL 25- 40 MILES ONE WAY (30+ MINUTES). MANY HISPANIC LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS IN THE AREA WORK IN THE POULTRY INDUSTRY AND FIND IT DIFFICULT TO ACCESS HEALTHCARE DURING NORMAL WORK HOURS. ACCESS TO CARE IS A SIGNIFICANT CONCERN IN MADISON COUNTY. A 2022 BMRHC NEEDS ASSESSMENT INDICATED A GAP IN PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS, WITH A DEFICIT OF 3.3 PROVIDERS, AND SINCE THAT TIME, ONE BMRHC PROVIDER, A PEDIATRICIAN, HAS LEFT THE AREA. BASED ON THE ACTIVE PARTICIPATION AND FEEDBACK FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND LOCAL LEADERSHIP, THERE IS A RECOGNIZED NEED TO EXPAND ACCESS BEYOND THE CURRENT HOURS OFFERED BY BMRHC. ADDITIONALLY, THERE IS A DEMAND FOR WALK-IN AVAILABILITY TO ADDRESS ACUTE ILLNESSES AND IMMEDIATE HEALTHCARE NEEDS. OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, MEETINGS DISCUSSING THIS ISSUE HAVE GAINED MEDIA ATTENTION. MOREOVER, THE 2022 MADISON COUNTY HEALTH COALITION NEEDS ASSESSMENT IDENTIFIED "ACCESS TO CARE" AS THE TOP CONCERN AMONG THE COMMUNITY. WITH A STRONG SENSE OF SHARED RESPONSIBILITY, THE COMMUNITY BELIEVES THAT PRIORITY SHOULD BE GIVEN TO ENSURING ACCESS TO CARE FOR ACUTE NEEDS, WHERE WALK-IN PATIENTS CAN BE ACCOMMODATED PROMPTLY, AND SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE LATER IN THE EVENINGS AND ON WEEKENDS. BMRHC IS NEARING THE COMPLETION OF A NEW WING AT ITS HUNTSVILLE CLINIC LOCATION TO ADDRESS CAPACITY AT THE EXISTING CLINIC, AND THIS ADDITIONAL SPACE WILL HELP SUPPORT BMRHCS EXTENDED HOURS OPERATIONS FOR ACUTE, CHRONIC, AND PREVENTIVE CARE. BMRHC AIMS TO EXPAND ITS OPERATIONAL HOURS BY AN ADDITIONAL 32 HOURS AT THE HUNTSVILLE HEALTH CENTER LOCATION, INCLUDING MOST HOLIDAYS. HOURS OF ADDITIONAL OPERATION WOULD BE MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY FROM 5:15 PM TO 8:00 PM (ADDITIONAL 2.75 HR PER DAY); FRIDAYS FROM 11:45 AM-7:00 PM (ADDITIONAL 7.15 HRS); SATURDAYS FROM 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (ADDITIONAL 8 HRS) AND AN ADDITIONAL 6 HOURS ON SUNDAYS (12:00 PM - 6:00 PM). TO ACCOMMODATE THIS SCHEDULE, BMRHC WILL HIRE TWO TEAMS: ONE NURSE PRACTITIONER, ONE NURSE, ONE RAD-TECH/LAB TECHNICIAN, ONE FRONT DESK RECEPTIONIST, AND A .50 NURSE/MANAGER. THESE TWO TEAMS WILL ALSO EXPAND ACCESS DURING WORK HOURS IN ADDITION TO THE AFTER-HOUR SCHEDULE. THROUGH EXTENDED HOURS, BMRHC EXPECTS TO ATTRACT 160 NEW PATIENTS WHO PREVIOUSLY DID NOT UTILIZE SERVICES AND 740 EXISTING PATIENTS WHO WILL UTILIZE THE EXTENDED HOURS RESULTING IN A TOTAL OF 1,740 PATIENT ENCOUNTERS. THIS INCREASE IN PATIENT ENCOUNTERS IS A TESTAMENT TO THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF THE PROPOSED EXTENSION OF HOURS, BRINGING HOPE AND OPTIMISM FOR IMPROVED HEALTHCARE ACCESS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.

FY 2020 EXPANDING CAPACITY FOR CORONAVIRUS TESTING (ECT)

FY 2023 EXPANDING COVID-19 VACCINATION

ARRA - INCREASE SERVICES TO HEALTH CENTERS

FY 2020 CORONAVIRUS SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING FOR HEALTH CENTERS

COMMUNITY FACILITIES - ECONOMIC IMPACT INITIATIVE GRANTS

THE AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY OUTREACH GRANT PROGRAM PROVIDES ELIGIBLE GOVERNMENTAL AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES WITH THE FUNDING AND RESOURCES NEEDED TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF AND PARTICIPATION IN THE AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM AMONG THOSE ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLDS MOST IN NEED OF AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY.

COMMUNITY FACILITIES LOANS AND GRANTS - ARRA

FY 2023 BRIDGE ACCESS PROGRAM

PERSISTENT POVERTY CF GRANT

PERSISTENT POVERTY CF GRANT

TELEMEDICINE GRANT