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Wayne County approves $250,000 HRSA continuation to extend clinic hours at two FQHC sites, adds Garden City site
Summary
Commissioners approved a $250,000 one-year continuation from the Health Resources and Services Administration to keep expanded hours at Wayne County Healthy Communities’ two federally qualified health centers; officials said a third site in Garden City will open May 1 and will be eligible for the grant once operational.
The Wayne County Health and Human Services Commission voted to accept a $250,000 one‑year continuation grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration to sustain expanded clinical hours at Wayne County Healthy Communities’ federally qualified health centers.
Javar Jackson, CEO of Wayne County Healthy Communities, told the commission the award extends an initiative first funded in 2025 and is intended to lengthen clinical hours at two existing sites. "This funding extends our clinical hours past our current hours," Jackson said, adding that the program aims to build sustainability ‘‘through revenue generation’’ so the longer hours can be maintained after the one‑time allocation ends.
Why it matters: county health officials said expanded hours improve access for patients who face transportation or scheduling barriers and help the clinics meet HRSA requirements that core services be available across sites. Commissioners pressed staff on whether the extended hours would end when grant funds run out; Jackson said the goal is to sustain hours via increased revenues and billing once the grant finishes.
Commissioners also clarified which locations the grant covers. Jackson and staff said the $250,000 covers two established clinic sites now; the provider plans to open a third site inside the medical office building adjacent to Garden City Hospital on May 1. County staff said the new Garden City site is not covered under the current one‑time allocation but will become eligible for future HRSA funding once it is formally certified as an FQHC site.
Transportation and services: the clinics use Uber Health to help patients reach appointments, staff said, and HRSA permits transportation to and from clinical visits. County staff said the grant does not fully cover all anticipated transportation costs and that the organization budgets for rides separately; they estimated roughly a 9% increase in patient volume year over year that the expanded hours aim to address.
The commission approved the amendment after discussion. The motion was moved, seconded and recorded as carried.
