Virginia Garcia Receives Affordable Care Act Grant to Upgrade Clinic Space in McMinnville

May 4, 2012 -- Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center is pleased to announce its receipt
of a $41May 4, 2012 -- Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center is pleased to announce its receipt
of a $419,764 federal grant to support the transformation of its McMinnville Clinic
into a state-of-the-art patient-centered medical home for more underserved residents
of Yamhill County. This award was made by the Department of Health and Human
Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) with funding through
the Affordable Care Act.

The grant will support enhancements to improve and expand patient care at the clinic –
including the construction of two additional exam rooms, group education space and a
teaching kitchen where patients can learn about the impact of nutrition on health while
gaining practical experience preparing nutritious meals. But perhaps the most critical
aspect of the project is the redesign of the clinic into a setting that fully supports the
Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model of care.

“This grant is a strong sign of support from the federal government that they have
confidence in the work of Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center. It will improve our
ability to provide high quality care to more patients using the team-based approach,” said
Gil Muñoz, CEO of Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center. “This investment will go a
long way toward improving the health of our community.”

It has become increasingly evident that access to an affordable PCMH leads to improved
health outcomes, increased patient and staff satisfaction, and reduced health care costs.
But service delivery under this model of care requires clinical space where provider
teams can convene without disrupting patient flow. The McMinnville Clinic, which
was designed and built before the benefits of the PCMH were well-known, does not
adequately support this model of care.

“We are thrilled to have this opportunity to re-shape the clinic into a true Patient-
Centered Medical Home,” said Seamus McCarthy, McMinnville Clinic Manager. “This
is great news for Yamhill County, our patients and our staff, who have worked so hard
to come together as teams to provide their patients with high-quality care despite the
challenges of doing so in the current clinic environment.”

The redesigned clinic will have dedicated areas where provider teams – which include
professionals such as physicians, nurses, medical assistants, mental health professionals
and more – can work together to discuss and coordinate patient care, and deliver tailored
services that meet patients’ diverse and often complex needs.

The clinic improvements will also allow Virginia Garcia to reach about 2,000 more Yamhill County residents who need access to health care. Last year, the McMinnville Clinic served more than 8,000 patients, yet HRSA estimates that there are more than 15,000 additional low-income people – most are uninsured or covered by Medicaid – in the clinic’s immediate service area who are not being served by a community health center.

Virginia Garcia operates multiple sites that provide health care to vulnerable families throughout Washington and Yamhill Counties, building more vibrant communities and saving millions in unnecessary costs due to preventable emergency and hospital care. It is the only federally-qualified health center in its service area dedicated to providing affordable, culturally-competent care to people facing multiple barriers to obtaining primary care services and achieving optimal health. Virginia Garcia’s McMinnville Clinic was constructed in 2006 to address the growing demand for health care among low-income, uninsured residents of Yamhill County.

For more information about Virginia Garcia, please click here.

For information about HRSA’s community health center program, click here.