May 07, 2015

School of Medicine receives federal grant

The SIU School of Medicine has received a $650,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to expand its federally qualified health center (FQHC) in Springfield to include a new access point:  the SIU Quincy Family Medicine Program.

The New Access Point (NAP) Funding aims to fund programs to increase access to quality primary care services for underserved and vulnerable populations.  SIU School of Medicine was one of only four institutions awarded grants in Illinois and 164 awarded nationwide.

“This grant allows us to expand the integrated services that a Community Health Center can provide, including care coordination, pharmaceutical assistance and behavioral health. Our Springfield program has seen the difference it can make,” said Iris Wesley, executive director of the Department of Family and Community Medicine’s FQHC in Springfield and now Quincy. “Our Quincy program will surely see similar benefits in the near future.”

The two-year grant will begin in July 2015.  It was part of the Health and Human Services’ (HHS) $101 million in Affordable Care Act funding to 164 new community health centers.