Five Georgia community health centers will receive a total of $11 million in grants to expand and improve their services, the federal government announced Tuesday.
The Georgia money is part of $728 million nationally that will go to hundreds of community health centers across the country, under the 2010 health reform law.
A Stone Mountain health center highlighted in a recent Kaiser Health News article for scoring poorly on six care measures will get the largest amount awarded in Georgia. Oakhurst Medical Centers will receive $5 million to construct a larger facility.
Jeffrey Taylor, Oakhurst’s CEO, said the building will be in a more visible location, on Memorial Drive. “People now drive by our [current] facility and head to Grady’s emergency room,’’ Taylor told GHN. “They don’t know we’re there.’’
The new Oakhurst building will serve more people and provide more wellness activities, he said. Taylor said he believes it will help improve the center’s care. Many of the health center’s patients are refugees who have not had regular medical care, including children who have not received vaccinations.
The second-highest grant in Georgia is $4.9 million to the Neighborhood Improvement Project for a new building in south Augusta. full story
