Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/976263
IN THE PA ST FIVE YE ARS, GR ACEMED, A CLINIC SYSTEM AFFILIATED WITH THE UNITED ME THODIST CHURCH, HA S GROWN FROM THREE LOCATIONS IN WICHITA TO 15 LOCATIONS IN K ANSA S. GraceMed opened its 12th Wichita location, the Ablah Family Clinic, in April 2017. Dave Sanford GraceMed Expansion Includes Topeka, McPherson and More Wichita Locations BY AMY GEISZLERJONES "OUR V ISION, MIS SION and ph i losophy is t hat ever yone needs access to qua lity, afford- able hea lt h ca re," says Dave Sa nford, CEO. It s web sit e de cl a re s t h at a "com mu n it y 's potentia l is i m mea su rably ex pa nded by i mprov i ng t he hea lt h of ou r most medica l ly underser ved residents." Residents with limited economic means ca n't afford to miss work, so they go to work a nd a re less productive. Sicker kids mea ns days missed at school a nd fa lling behind. Seeking nonemergency ca re at a hospita l ER is costly for patients a nd a lso a ffects hospita l resources. A Federa l ly Qua lif ied Hea lth Center (FQ HC), GraceMed's expa nsion has been driven by focusing on what it ca lls hea lthcare deserts — neighborhoods that have limited hea lthcare options — and providing services where many of its target patients are. That 's what led to GraceMed opening clinics nex t door to seven Wichita schools — a ll Title I schools — a nd its $4.6 million Abla h Fa mily Clinic in southwest F E A T U R E ❰❰❰❰❰ 1 1 Wichita Safety Net Clinic Expansions In Wichita, GraceMed is one of five safety net clinic systems. In the past year, four of those clinic systems have announced or com- pleted expansions of locations and one has expanded services. In April 2017, GraceMed opened a $4.6 million clinic to provide medical, dental, optometry and mental health services in south- west Wichita. In late December, Mayflower Clinic moved to a new location in downtown Wichita, where the clinic will have about 4,000 square feet of clinical space — about twice what it had previously — when renovations are completed. Hunter Health Clinic, Kansas' only Urban Indian Health program and one of 34 nationwide, will move into its new 21,000-square- foot clinic this spring. The new building will double the amount of clinic space to 34 medical exam rooms and eight den- tal operatories. With more physicians volunteering services, Guadalupe Clinic added endocrinology, gastroenterology, cardiology and ortho- pedics services and a second chiropractor in 2017. The Catholic Diocese of Wichita operates the clinic, relying on volunteer medical providers. A fifth clinic, HealthCore, in northeast Wichita, started a $10.7 million clinic expansion and renovation in 2016. M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S G R E AT E R K A N S A S ■ 2 018 1 1