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| Arizona United Methodist Facility Receives Federal Job Stimulus Grant | ||||||||||||
Phoenix, Arizona, March 10, 2009--Wesley Community Center, a Phoenix facility related to The United Methodist Church, is sharing in a $3.9 million federal economic stimulus grant aimed at increasing regional jobs in the health-care section. The facility will receive a third, $1.3 million, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The allocation came as a belated surprise to Wesley, which is among the 100 national mission institutions related to the General Board of Global Ministries. An application for federal funds was filed two years ago, according to center executive director Betty Mathis. Wesley's health clinic, Centro de Salud, currently serves 4,100 unduplicated patients (counted once, regardless of the number of visits) who reside in 113 different zip codes. Some 98 percent of the patients are Hispanic and 94 percent Spanish-speaking, with 95 percent of the staff bilingual in English and Spanish. Ninety-five new jobs are expected to result from the stimulus grant that includes Wesley. Two other recipients are the Native American Community Health Center Inc., Phoenix, and North Country HealthCare in Flagstaff. Plans for the job increase have not been worked out. Bishop Praises Wesley The Wesley Community Center was established in 1950 and offers a broad range of family and community development, primarily in central and south-central Phoenix. Like many church-related community centers, Wesley was founded through the initiatives of what is today United Methodist Women. Its property is owned by the Women's Division of the Global Ministries agency. The center's mission statement is: "Together We Empower Positive Change." It served a total of 14,200 persons through all programs in 2008. "We are honored that the Wesley Community Center of Phoenix is among our national mission institutions," said Jerald McKie of Global Ministries. "The directors, staff, and the whole community of Wesley deserve credit for creating a center of such quality that it attracts national public support." Ms. McKie heads the Community and Institutional Ministries unit that links to national mission institutions. Centro de Salud Presently the health facility provides 40 weekly clinic hours, including extended hours from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm each Wednesday, and one additional evening monthly. These evening hours provide much-needed clinic access to working individuals and families. The clinic was opened in August 2003 following a series of meetings and focus groups with community and area health leaders to determine the potential need for providing a basic health care center/clinic for uninsured families and individuals. Betty Mathis, the center director, said that the study identified the need for more affordable primary medical care within the local community That first clinic was an extraordinary success, supporting 2,300 patient encounters. In those early years, the staff and volunteers developed a reputation as culturally competent health-care providers. A fire on January 28, 2006, destroyed the clinic's building--the original Wesley Center facility built in 1953. The clinic reopened in April 2007, just 15 months after the fire. As of February 2009, the clinic is handling 400 monthly encounters with:
Although a vast majority of patients are Spanish-speaking, Centro de Salud serves a culturally and linguistically diverse population, including Vietnamese, Congolese, and Sudanese patients, as well as other immigrant and refugee groups in Maricopa County. Staff and volunteer interpreters at the health center are competent in eight languages. They receive reviews related to their interpretation skills, and all staff and volunteers receive annual cultural competency training. Family and Youth Services
Date posted: Mar 10, 2009 |
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