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Subcommittee hears multiple LDSI grant requests for clinics, food hubs, memory care and medical transportation
Summary
Nonprofit leaders and local representatives presented multiple Local Development and School Infrastructure requests, including $300,000 for a Child and Family Charities clinic, $1,000,000 for Grow Jackson's River & Rail Food Hub kitchens, $2,000,000 for Saint Louis Center memory-care renovations and $500,000 to expand the Davies Project's medical-transport service.
The subcommittee heard a series of LDSI presentations from nonprofit organizations seeking one-time capital investments to expand health care access, food-production capacity, long-term care services and medical transportation.
Child and Family Charities asked for $300,000 to renovate space at its nonprofit hub to open a primary care clinic. Julie Thomasma, CEO of Child and Family Charities, said the nonprofit operates more than 30 programs and serves tens of thousands of people annually and that the requested funds would cover renovations and start-up costs; Dr. Amy Brookins, a pediatrician partnering on the project, said a single pediatrician could serve roughly 3,000 Medicaid patients in the clinic's early months and that embedding care in the nonprofit hub would help reach vulnerable families.
Representative Fitzgerald introduced United Church Outreach Ministries (UCOM)'s request for a new, fully accessible, LEED-certified facility in Wyoming with an incubator kitchen and expanded pantry space. Eric Keener, executive director of UCOM, said the organization has raised about $950,000 toward a $4,000,000 goal and would use state support to help unlock additional funding and expand workforce training (including ServSafe certification).
Grow Jackson requested $1,000,000 to construct multiple commercial kitchens and a teaching kitchen at the River & Rail Food Hub in Jackson. Jacob Inesencio, founder and executive director of Grow Jackson, described a model of four entrepreneurship kitchens leased at below-market rates plus a teaching kitchen to support culinary workforce training and help food entrepreneurs scale.
The Saint Louis Center asked for $2,000,000 to renovate and modernize a memory-care wing serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Testimony from center representatives said renovations would create dedicated memory-care space, multisensory therapy rooms and expanded clinical capacity to better serve residents from multiple counties.
The Davies Project requested $500,000 to expand free medical-transport services for children with serious medical needs into Jackson County; founder Pamela Makhlachowicz and director Laura Young said funds would buy vans, support volunteer drivers, upgrade dispatch software and fund community expansion kits. The presenters said the group provided more than 4,300 rides last year and would phase spending if the full request is not granted.
Members asked standard follow-ups about project budgets, state appropriation history, sustainability and service areas; presenters provided answers about fundraising, contracts and anticipated timelines. No appropriation votes were taken during the session; presenters were thanked and the committee stood at ease.
