Virginia Health Care Foundation Awards $1.2 Million in Grants to Increase Access to Health Care

Jan 12, 2021

Grants support health safety net organizations throughout Virginia.

[Richmond, Virginia, January 12, 2021] – The Virginia Health Care Foundation (VHCF) has awarded grants totaling over $1.2 million to 11 health safety net organizations throughout Virginia to increase access to medical, dental, and behavioral health care for uninsured and medically underserved Virginians in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grantees and projects awarded follow:

Primary Medical Care

  • GPW Health Center (GPW) – $175,000 to help expand the prenatal and primary care services available at GPW’s Manassas and Dumfries locations by adding ultrasound to the services provided.
  • Sinclair Health Clinic (SHC) – $136,105 to support the salary and benefits of a full-time Nurse Practitioner, who will offer prenatal care services and help meet growing demand for primary care services in Winchester.
  • Tri-Area Community Health (TACH) – $132,628 to underwrite the salary and benefits of a full-time Nurse Practitioner to serve as the primary medical provider at TACH’s new site in Grayson County.
  • Health Brigade (HB) – $115,000 to underwrite the salary and benefits of a full-time Medical Director to lead the Richmond clinic’s transition to a hybrid clinic capable of treating both uninsured patients and those with Medicaid health coverage. The grant will also support a full-time tri-lingual Licensed Professional Counselor to expand HB’s behavioral health program and help make mental health care more accessible to the clinic’s Spanish and Portuguese speaking patients.
  • New Horizons Healthcare (NHH) – $56,160 to help underwrite the salary and benefits of a full-time Physician Assistant, who offers same day, evening, and Saturday appointments for acute care to better accommodate patients’ work schedules.

Behavioral Health Care

  • Eastern Shore Rural Health System (ESRHS) – $132,100 to support the salary of a new Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner who will treat ESRHS patients onsite in Eastville and at other ESRHS sites via tele-health appointments.
  • Johnson Health Center (JHC) – $134,375 to support the salaries and benefits of a full-time Behavioral Health Specialist and a full-time Mental Health Clinician in Lynchburg, who will work alongside JHC’s psychiatrist and primary care team to implement an integrated behavioral health program.
  • Bradley Free Clinic (BFC) – $125,000 to help with construction of several rooms to house the clinic’s new behavioral health services in Roanoke.

 Dental Care

  • Community Health Center of the New River Valley (CHCNRV) – $83,475 to help underwrite the salary and benefits of a full-time Dentist at CHCNRV’s Pulaski County clinic.
  • Bland Ministry Center (BMC) – $75,000 to help support a Dentist and Dental Hygienist at Big Walker Dentistry, BMC’s dental safety net clinic in Wythe County.
  • VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital (CMH) – $56,250 to help underwrite the salary and benefits of a full-time Dentist at CMH’s Family Dental Clinic which serves the residents of Mecklenburg County.

“Virginia is currently facing an extraordinary challenge with communities and economies throughout the state severely affected by COVID-19,” said Deborah Oswalt, VHCF’s Executive Director. “With the tremendous increase in the number of Virginians filing new claims for unemployment insurance and the significant numbers of those still unemployed as a result of the pandemic, the need for the state’s healthcare safety net is greater than ever. These grants will help ensure Virginians have access to the health care they need during these difficult times.”

The Virginia Health Care Foundation is a non-profit public/private partnership with a mission to increase access to primary health care for uninsured and medically underserved Virginians. The Foundation was initiated by the General Assembly and its Joint Commission on Health Care in 1992. Since its inception, it has funded 437 community-based initiatives across the Commonwealth, and its programs and partnerships have touched the lives of more than 700,000 uninsured Virginians.

For more information about VHCF and its programs, visit www.vhcf.org or call (804) 828-5804.

Last Updated on January 12, 2021