Community project funding/congressionally directed spending - construction - the joseph P. Addabbo family health center, INC. (JPA) is requesting $1.5M from the U.S. House appropriations committee…

Community project funding/congressionally directed spending - construction - the joseph P. Addabbo family health center, INC. (JPA) is requesting $1.5M from the U.S. House appropriations committee to complete the construction of its new facility adjacent to 6200 beach channel drive, renovate its existing facility at 6200 beach channel drive and furnish and equip the newly created space to provide a wellness care center for the community. This construction, renovation and expansion of space will greatly increase JPA's ability to see and treat a growing number of medical, dental and behavioral health patients, increase specialty care as well as partner with existing community organizations to provide community support/educational programs in its created community-designated space. The inclusion of community space in the construction plan will satisfy a pronounced need in the rockaway community. The critical lack of available community space has been an ongoing issue for years in the rockaways and this newly created community space would help fill that void. In addition to being able to utilize the space for medical support groups, CPR training and other healthcare purposes, JPA intends to share its community space with a variety of other organizations and stakeholders throughout the rockaway community including but not limited to: rockaway development and revitalization corporation (RDRC), primary care development corporation (PCDC), ocean BAY community development corp. (OBCDC) and community board 14 (CB14). Workforce training is key to the economic viability of the rockaways given its high rate of unemployment - also exacerbated by the pandemic - and through JPA's partnerships with other organizations that do provide ongoing job training and related educational programs, critical job training will be possible and in fact, encouraged. Community space support benefit to patients: many patients in the rockaways suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity, would also benefit from regular support groups and T he newly constructed space would accommodate this feature of comprehensive care for the community and would improve its overall health. The renovations of the existing facility will also include at least four (4) additional exam rooms inclusive of tele-health IT capabilities to increase its capacity for conducting video and telephonic appointments. JPA foresees an estimated increase of at least 12,000 visits per year which will go far towards ensuring the long-term financial viability of JPA - the only large healthcare/medical provider in the rockaways. To address the behavioral health component, JPA would look to recruit an additional four (4) long-term behavioral health providers, an lcsw who could provide individual and family counseling and possibly a casac, certified alcohol and substance abuse counselor. The dental component would include hiring an additional four long-term dentists, eight (8) dental assistants and two (2) additional clerks.