Will County Health Center Receives Federal Grant Funding

Submitted by the Will County Health Department:

New federal grant dollars awarded by an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will enable the Will County Community Health Center to expand available services and add behavioral health to its scope of practice.

The Health Center, housed in a 33,000-square-foot facility located at 1106 Neal Ave. in Joliet, will receive funding totaling $246,154.00 (over two years), awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). According to Community Health Center Chief Executive Officer Mary Maragos, MS, APN, this additional funding will support the addition of three full-time health professionals.

“We will add a full-time family nurse practitioner and a certified medical assistant (CMA), who would see walk-in patients at our Neal Avenue clinic,” Maragos said. “They will also spend time seeing patients on our Mobile dental van, which is being equipped for medical care.”

The Health Center will also be hiring a licensed clinical social worker to provide screening, evaluation, and management of patients with behavioral health and substance use disorders.

“We plan to integrate behavioral health and primary care services for all our patients,” Maragos continued. “The goal is to treat the whole person and meet some of the growing demand for behavioral health care.”

The grant also allows for a part-time contractual CDL licensed driver to increase community visibility and dental/medical van outreach. The van already visits schools, community shelters, and other areas of the county that have limited access to health care.

The primary care wing of the Will County Health Department, the Community Health Center is one of 43 Illinois sites to receive dollars during the latest round of HRSA grant funding. The new hires and expanded capacity will be in place no later than January 1, 2015.

On August 26, the Health Center announced receipt of a new construction and renovation grant made available through the Patient-Centered Medical Home Facility Improvement Grant Program. The grant, totaling $248,814.00, is being used to make the Community Health Center’s waiting area more accessible for patients with disabilities and improve patient registration and checkout efficiency.

The Community Health Center has been providing high quality medical and dental care at affordable prices to area residents since 1996. Services are provided six days weekly by appointment, and walk-ins are welcome. For more information, or to schedule an appointment, telephone 815-727-8670.