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GSB Health Plan seeks support after $250,000 Lilly grant; plans dental expansion and mental health services
Summary
GSB Health Plan Executive Director Emily Hurston told the county council the clinic won a $250,000 Lilly grant to expand services, installed $90,000 in new dental equipment, and plans to add mental health care space under a lease currently in negotiation.
GSB Health Plan Executive Director Emily Hurston told the Decatur County Council the nonprofit clinic serves uninsured and underinsured county residents, charges $10 for medical visits and $20 for dental visits, and recently secured grants and donations to expand services.
Hurston said the clinic completed a $90,000 project to acquire new dental equipment through grants and donations and expects the new equipment to be operational by October. She said the clinic received a $250,000 award from a Lilly grant administered through the community foundation to expand its footprint; Hurston said that grant is renewable for three years and will help cover rent and transportation costs for expanded mental‑health, medical and dental services.
Why it matters: Hurston said the clinic has served more than 100 families in Decatur County this year and that demand is rising as people affected by state and federal Medicaid changes return to the clinic. “We serve the underinsured and the uninsured here in Decatur County,” she said. Hurston also said the clinic is negotiating a lease to add mental‑health space and is pursuing designation as a federally qualified health center to help long-term sustainability.
Funding and requests: Hurston asked the council to consider the clinic for the county’s routine riverboat funding cycle; she did not ask for a specific dollar amount during the meeting. The council then discussed its usual riverboat allocation process; other council business included a subsequent motion to add $8,000 to a funding line (recorded in the meeting minutes) for community assistance but Hurston did not request a specific amount at the hearing.
What was not decided: the council did not commit county funding to the clinic during the presentation; Hurston said she had submitted an application to the county’s normal riverboat process and would follow up to ensure the application files were received.
Ending: Hurston said the clinic continues to expand services, thanked the council for prior riverboat funding support and offered to provide additional documentation if the council requested it.
