Federal Grant Application — Community Health Initiative

In the zip code served by Bridges Community Health Center, the nearest emergency room is 34 miles away.

For the 67% of residents without reliable transportation, that distance isn't an inconvenience — it's a barrier that turns manageable conditions into medical crises.

Since 2018, Bridges has served as the primary — and often only — healthcare provider for 4,200 uninsured and underinsured residents in rural Caldwell County. Last year alone, our team of 12 providers delivered 18,400 patient visits, prevented an estimated 340 emergency room admissions, and saved the regional healthcare system approximately $2.1 million in avoidable acute care costs.

We did this on a budget of $1.4 million.

The HRSA Health Center Program grant we are requesting — $850,000 over three years — will allow Bridges to expand our behavioral health services, add a mobile health unit to reach the county's most isolated communities, and hire two additional providers to address our current 6-week appointment backlog.

This is not a request to build something new. It is a request to sustain something that is already working — and to extend its reach to the people who need it most.