The Health Foundation invests in building community health capacity in many ways. Among them was providing support to increase access to high-quality, community-based health care by expanding the number of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in our regions.

In July 2010, the Health Foundation committed up to $200,000 in funding to exceed the federal goal of doubling the patients seen in FQHCs by 2015.

To help achieve that goal, the Health Foundation provided support to assist  organizations with the application process for funding, a process that requires skills and resources not always readily available in clinics already struggling to meet the demand for services.

The Foundation’s investment was well-placed and in 2012, resulted in an influx of more than $3.37 million in annual Health Center New Access Point grants from the federal government to expand or establish seven New Access Points in western and central New York.

The funds will allow these centers to expand services:

• Community Health Center of Buffalo, Inc.
• Northwest Buffalo Community Health Care Center, Inc.
• Oak Orchard Community Health Center, Inc. of Brockport
• Northern Oswego County Health Services, Inc., Pulaski

The funds are also supporting new FQHCs including:

• The Chautauqua Center, Dunkirk
• The Southern Tier Community Health Center Network, Inc., Olean
• East Hill Family Medical, Inc., Auburn

With the New Access Point grant awards, plus other budgeted patient increases, the Foundation projects that 149,353 people will be served by FQHCs by 2015, an increase of more than 66,000 since 2010.

Strengthening the FQHCs with these dollars will have a major effect on our region for both rural and urban populations.

For more information and a complete listing of grant awards, click here.