By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LULING – Officials with the Louisiana Primary Care Association (LPCA) announced last week that St. Charles Parish Community Health Center was awarded a share of $8.6 million worth of federal funding set aside for community health centers in the state.

The money, which is going to seven federally qualified health centers all across the state, is part of the economic stimulus package recently passed by Congress.

Rhonda Litt, executive director for LPCA, said the grants would go toward expansion of services to underserved and uninsured residents and create jobs for health care practitioners. She said the amount each health center is scheduled to receive is based on how many of these underprivileged residents the health center serves.

“The process to secure this money is lengthy and competitive,” said Litt. “Only 126 centers nationwide received this funding, and in order to get it, the area where the health center is located must have a designation from the federal government that defines it as underserved.”

Mark Kaiser, CEO of the St. Charles Community Health Center, said the center is set to receive $1.3 million, which would go toward development and construction of an additional community health center in Norco.

“This is part of a long term strategy of expansion to the east bank of the parish that we have been working on for quite some time,” said Kaiser. “The last time we applied, which was December of 2007, we didn’t make the cut. We are fortunate that our congressional representation understands our situation.”

Kaiser said St. Charles Parish has been in desperate need of expansion of community health services because about 31 percent of the parish residents are living at or below the federal poverty line.

“Our services keep people from having to go to the emergency room to see a physician, which is always a long and expensive ordeal,” said Kaiser.  

Kaiser said the money is spread out over two years and that the first half, roughly $650,000, is available right away. He said the health center would use that portion of the money to get an access point up and running within the next 120 days. He said the center would operate out of a modular facility until a permanent location could be constructed. He said the East Bank center would have three physicians and other support staff.

“Our goal is to break ground on the permanent location by the end of that 120 day period,” said Kaiser. “We have a property donation and a capital donation lined up. The building would be similar to our West Bank location.”

Other healthcare centers in Louisiana receiving grants from the program include community health centers in Jefferson, Orleans, Acadia, Evangeline, Assumption and Winn Parishes.