SIU Center for Family Medicine Receives Federal Certification
Expanding program serves nearly 30,000 patients
SIU Center for Family Medicine, a Federally Qualified Health Center, has received citation-free certification from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration (HHS). As a result, the Center received a $2 million HRSA grant to cover some of the program’s operating costs. The grant is the third phase of a three-year funding cycle.
The Center’s two locations in Springfield and Quincy together now serve almost 30,000 patients and offer numerous “wrap around” services to provide comprehensive care. These services, praised by the HRSA site visit team, include care coordinators for patients, community health workers for outreach, nutritionists and mental health professionals. The team also cited the center’s strong access to specialty care services and hospital-based care provided by its physicians. HRSA commended the site as “an excellent program that is well poised for the future.”
This month, SIU’s Center has opened a two-story expansion to its 520 N. Fourth St. location, doubling the clinic’s existing space. An additional FQHC clinic will open in Jacksonville on August 29.
Other site services recognized as “best practices” include the behavioral health staff and the medical legal partnership, which also received HRSA funding. The HRSA team also recognized SIU’s transition to a shared electronic health record and praised the center’s active board of directors. More than half of the board members are patients.
“Every day our medical team is providing comprehensive, coordinated care to people who really need it, some of whom were once overlooked,” said Iris Wesley, CEO of the SIU Center for Family Medicine.
SIU’s administrative team, led by Wesley, included Dr. Michael Dynda, chief medical officer; Lori Jackson, chief information officer; Ellen King, chief financial officer, Bobbie Schilling, chief operating officer, Lois Harber, Director of Quality, and Dr. Janet Albers, Chair of the Department of Family & Community Medicine. The board president is Veatrice Crawford.
As an FQHC, the sites have access to federal funding, increased reimbursement for Medicaid and Medicare, and a drug discount program. The Center in Springfield can be reached at 217-545-8000 and in Quincy at 217-224-9484. This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number H80CS24098 Health Center Cluster. The new facility was financed 100 percent through non-governmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
