By Emily Randall
Northeast News
Oct. 13, 2010

With the announcement of an $8.227 million grant awarded Friday, Historic Northeast’s Samuel U. Rodgers Center has nearly achieved its fundraising goal for the $25.5 million new facility currently under construction.

The community health center, which serves many of Kansas City’s less fortunate residents, is constructing a 60,800-square-foot facility just north of the current center at 825 Euclid St. The expanded space is expected to help the center serve 7,500 new patients with an additional 25,000 visits per year.

“We are extremely grateful to have been selected to receive this grant award,” said Hilda Fuentes, Samuel U. Rodgers CEO. “We’re long overdue for additional space and more efficient space.”

Fundraising for the project began in 2007, and before this grant, the center had already raised $15 million. The grant brings the center to within about $2 million of its end goal.

HHS awarded a total of $727 million to 143 community centers nationwide for construction and renovation needs. The grants are a part of the Affordable Care Act.

More than $24 million of the grants went to six centers in Missouri, including:

• Big Springs Medical Association and Missouri Highland Health Care, Ellington, $2.02 million.

• Crider Health Care, Wentzville, $5.1 million.

• Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Centers, St. Louis, $2.15 million.

• Northeast Missouri Health Council, Kirksville, $3.823 million.

• Regional Health Care Clinic, Sedalia, $2.3 million.

In total, the $24 million coming to Missouri is intended to help the state’s community health centers serve 30,148 new patients. Missouri ranked 10th in total dollars received through this round of grants, which is the first in a series.

In a press release, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said community health centers are growing in necessity during the poor economy.

“Community Health Centers provide quality healthcare services to Americans across the country but are a lifeline for those who have lost coverage or are between jobs,” Sebelius said. “These funds… will help get more people care in some communities where there have not been many options in the past.”

HHS estimates community health centers serve 19 million people nationwide, 40 percent of whom have no health insurance.

The new Samuel Rodgers facility will include adult, pediatric and women’s clinics, laboratories, an imaging center, pharmacy, behavioral health center, dental clinic, offices, community rooms and more. The existing facility will be razed following the move into the new center.