Community Health Northwest Florida’s Century service will expand under a five-year, multi-million-dollar rural health grant, including at its existing Industrial Boulevard site.
Community Health Northwest Florida has been awarded an $11.38 million, five-year Rural Health Transformation Program grant by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (ACHA) and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to bring transformative care to the most rural parts of Northwest Florida. Year-one funding was awarded at $4.02 million.
As the lead applicant for 15 partner organizations that submitted six applications to ACHA, Community Health Northwest Florida will be the fiscal administrator for more than $46.4 million over the five-year life of the grant, with $16.59 million allocated in the first year. Operational administration will be led by the Northwest Florida Health Council.
The Rural Health Transportation Program grant will see Community Health Northwest Florida stand up or expand satellite clinics in Century, initially expanding service at its existing Industrial Boulevard location for adult primary care and pediatric care. Community Health Northwest Florida also will reopen a second Century location for women’s health, behavioral health and psychiatry, and treatment for opioid use disorder. Both locations are accessible to the nearby community of Jay in Santa Rosa County.
“This is truly a transformational opportunity for every rural patient in Northwest Florida,” said Chandra Smiley, MSW, Chief Executive Officer of Community Health Northwest Florida and chair of the Northwest Florida Health Council Board of Directors. “We will be able to provide care closer to where our patients live, and also help keep them out of emergency rooms. It will improve lives, save lives, and save money in the process.”
Community Health Northwest Florida and its collaborative partners will be serving rural patients across the 10 most western counties in Florida under the Rural Health Transformation Program grant. The total funding breakdown for the 15 organizations for year one of the five-year grant is:
- Preventative Care and Care at Home: $5.25 million
- Specialty and Acute Care: $3.78 million
- Value-Based Care: $700,000
- Rural and Satellite Clinics: $4.02 million
- Workforce Development (two awards): $$1.47 million
- Health and Lifestyle: $1.37 million
“We are simply overjoyed the collaborative from Northwest Florida is able to ensure rural residents can receive meaningful access to quality healthcare,” said Walter Arrington, MSW, Director of Grants and Development at Community Health Northwest Florida.
The Community Health Northwest Florida facility at 501 Church Street will reopen thanks to the Rural Health Transformation Program grant.
The Community Health Northwest Florida grant award is the third largest in the state and the largest among the 15 applications submitted by the Northwest Florida Health Council, which also is a sub-awardee. Other Northwest Florida organizations include Ascension Sacred Heart, Point Washington Medical Clinic, Health & Hope Clinic, Lakeview Center Inc., Florida Department of Health-Walton/Walton Community Health Center, Walton County Fire Rescue, Crossroads, Doctors Medical Center Walton County, United Way of West Florida, Locklin Tech, United Hands, and Bridgeway.
“This has been a truly collaborative effort, and the Northwest Florida Health Council is proud of the role we have played in bringing partners together, helping shape this work, and now leading the operational administration as we move into implementation,” said Kyle Merritt, Executive Director of the Northwest Florida Health Council. “Our focus is on working together, using these resources responsibly, and building on each partner’s strengths to create something that truly lasts for the people and communities we serve across Northwest Florida.”
The Rural Health Transportation Program is funded by $50 billion in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — about $210 million of which was allocated to Florida for administration by ACHA for year one.