A local organization helping farm workers and those without medical insurance in Western North Carolina has received a grant to help expand the work it does.
Vecinos offers free healthcare, mental health care and addresses other health-related needs such as nutrition and food assistance for farmworkers and uninsured adults with a special focus on the Hispanic community. The nonprofit currently operates a clinic in Cullowhee but is looking to expand its efforts by opening a clinic in Macon County. However, the future Community Health Hub located on Smoky Mountain Drive in Franklin is far from ready to open its doors.
The facility is in need of approximately $3 million to begin renovations.
A $1 million grant from the USDA Emergency Rural Health Care Grant program will make a sizeable dent in that goal. The grant was awarded to Vecinos on Sept. 14. It is part of a $500 million grant program to increase the ability of the underprivileged in rural communities to obtain COVID-19 testing, COVID vaccines, healthcare and food assistance.
The organization’s goal is to begin work on the building in spring 2023 with plans to open the clinic’s doors in a year’s time.
“In partnership with other local nonprofits, the Community Health Hub will offer a variety of bilingual, free services for low-income, uninsured community members, including Vecinos’ services of integrated primary and mental healthcare and COVID-19 vaccines,” said Rene Potere, Vecinos community engagement manager.
In the past two years the nonprofit has made a tremendous effort to protect its client base from COVID-19. It has coordinated and administered more than 7,000 vaccines, COVID tests and masks to clients.
Vecinos will continue to maintain its current facility in Cullowhee and its mobile clinic, but clients may visit whichever clinic they choose.
“We have a lot of patients who are used to coming there,” Potere said.
Clients need not worry about transportation issues because Vecinos provides transportation for clients who need assistance getting to its facilities.
Vecinos has begun a capital campaign to raise $5.6 million to complete all the work needed to get the Health Hub up and running.
“This is primarily to get the building retrofitted and renovated for multi-use,” Potere said.
She expects that fundraising events for the campaign could begin in spring.
