Mobile County Health Department's community health centers awarded patient navigator grant

MOBILE, Alabama -- The Mobile County Health Department’s Family Oriented Primary Health Care Clinics Inc. has been awarded a two-year grant to hire a patient navigator to work at one of its community health centers, according to Farah A. Arosemena, associate director of the Center for Gulf Coast Environmental Health Research, Leadership and Strategic Initiatives.

 The competitive grant, worth about $54,000 for each year of the program, is being funded through the Tulane University Gulf Regional Health Outreach Program (GRHOP) Environmental Health Capacity and Literacy Project.

“We received an outstanding and varied group of applications in this initial round to place community health workers and patient navigators,” Arosemena wrote to the health agency in a letter about the award. “We are excited to assist you in implementing your vision to better your community.”

A goal of the health outreach project is to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable Gulf Coast communities by building environmental health capacity to deliver coordinated specialty care, integrating the roles of community health workers -- including environmental health navigators -- as a viable and sustainable component of the health system.

“This grant will help us continue to offer access to quality primary health care to vulnerable populations,” said Dr. Bernard Eichold, Health Officer for the Mobile County Health Department.  “We are pleased that Tulane recognized our commitment to the community.”

Through its primary care health centers, Mobile County Health Department providers saw nearly 39,000 patients during 2012 for health care needs that included primary medical care, optometry, dentistry, women’s health, family planning and pediatric care. The Mobile County Health Department operates 10 primary care health centers throughout Mobile County, including locations in Tillman’s Corner, Semmes, Eight Mile, Citronelle, Mount Vernon and downtown Mobile.

Alabama’s oldest health agency also provides regular community outreach with its mobile unit. More than 1,000 patient encounters were logged through the use of the rolling health center during wellness screening events in the past 12 months.

For more information about other Mobile County Health Department services, visit the agency’s website at www.mobilecountyhealth.org