Federal Grant Allows Expansion for CFMC

Caswell Family Medical Center Awarded Federal Grant to Open New Site in Eden, North Carolina

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), awarded more than $50 million to fund 77 health centers across 23 states, Puerto Rico, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Caswell Family Medical Center is among those that awarded one of these “New Access Point” (NAP) grants.

“HHS aims to help provide all Americans with access to quality healthcare and, ultimately, improve their health”, said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “…Creating additional sites of care is a vital way to help expand access to care and to improve the health of the nation’s underserved communities, both rural and urban.”

Caswell Family Medical Center, Inc. (CFMC) has been a federally qualified health center since 1978. The organization started when the only physician practicing in Caswell County, NC retired. Over the last 41 years, CFMC has grown into what it is today: a respected source of quality health care for everyone. All insurances including Medicare and Medicaid are accepted. Sliding fee scales based on household income are available for those that qualify.

This newest grant award will provide the financial resources necessary to spread CFMC’s reach into Rockingham County, NC.

James Austin Health Center (JAHC) opened in 2016 by the Rockingham County Health Care Alliance (RCHA) and has worked to help fill a significant void that existed in the Rockingham County health care delivery system. The RCHA Board of Directors recognized the negative impacts on the community’s overall health through the community’s limited number of primary care physicians, which were in turn multiplied for individuals whose access was further limited as the result of being un- or underinsured. JAHC was funded by grants from the Office of Rural Health, Duke Endowment, Kate B. Reynolds Foundation, and the Reidsville Area Foundation. Other community support was provided by UNC Rockingham, Cone Health, Annie Penn and the UNC School of Family Medicine. This clinic has truly been a community resource with a mission to be available to anyone who needed access to primary care regardless of their ability to pay.

The NAP grant awarded will allow RCHA to transition JAHC to operate as a satellite location for CFMC. “In terms of business and management, it will involve all the steps necessary to open a new medical practice,” says William Crumpton, CFMC’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our goal, though, will be to make the transition as seamless as possible.”

JAHC will continue operating from its current location on the campus of UNC Rockingham Hospital until the transition occurs. Then, it will open under CFMC’s management at a new location: 207 E Meadow Road, Eden, NC. It will retain the name James Austin Health Center.

Once the transition is complete, CFMC through JAHC will provide comprehensive primary care to patients of all ages, including children. All forms of insurance will be accepted including Medicare and Medicaid, as well as Tricare and other insurances that are not always commonly accepted in outpatient medical practices. Sliding fee scales based on household income will also be available for those that qualify.

Jason Vaughn, Family Nurse Practitioner, who has worked with JAHC for the past year, will transition to join CFMC’s medical staff. Jason will continue to work at JAHC after the transition. CFMC has already begun the work necessary to recruit a physician that will join Jason on a full-time basis at JAHC to ensure adequate clinical coverage and ensure access to care.

“There are still plenty details to work out, but one thing is certain: CFMC has a solid reputation of integrating into the community’s existing infrastructure without a spirit of competition and is excited about the opportunity to take up the mission of JAHC and move it forward in that same spirit with an eye toward making significant and sustainable contributions through partnerships to the City of Eden and Rockingham, County” says Crumpton.

Additional information will be distributed as it becomes available.

To learn more about CFMC’s current operations in Caswell, visit www.caswellmedical.org

To learn more about HRSA’s health center program, visit HRSA.

Questions should be directed to Ryan Millner, CFMC’s Marketing & Outreach Coordinator at rmillner@caswellmedical.org.