The Will County Community Health Center will receive annual state grants of $350,000 over the next three fiscal years to expand services for uninsured and underinsured county residents, the center’s chief executive officer announced Thursday.
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Yolanda Shannon-Albert said the funding couldn’t come at a better time, noting that the facility at 1106 Neal Ave. has experienced a nearly 31 percent increase in demands for service in the last two years. The center–part of the county Health Department and providing a range of medical, dental and behavioral health services–served 54,236 uninsured and underinsured county residents last year, she said.
“We’ve had to double and triple-book appointments to keep pace with the demand, and that creates long waits for the opportunity to see a medical provider,” Shannon-Albert said.
Some of the grant money will be used to hire additional fulltime medical providers, she said. The funds also will enable the center to add evening hours and to operate on Saturdays, she said. The expanded services will allow the center to assist an estimated 4,000 new patients annually, Shannon-Albert added.
The center services are provided on a sliding fee scale and cannot be denied due to an individual’s lack of funds, Shannon-Albert said.