Community project funding/congressionally directed spending - construction - located on the east side of hawai'i island, maika?i health corporation (MHC) is a nonprofit community clinic providing…

Community project funding/congressionally directed spending - construction - located on the east side of hawai'i island, maika?i health corporation (MHC) is a nonprofit community clinic providing comprehensive primary medical and behavioral health care, and pharmacy services for all in its federally designated medically underserved area/population and health professional shortage area service region. Hawai'i county, home to 202,906 people, is the most racially diverse county in the state, with the largest proportion of native hawaiian and other pacific islander (nhopi), hispanic, and american indian and alaskan native populations. MHC's ethnically diverse east hawai'i island service region is home to 103,494, of which 85% of the population are of asian, nhopi, hispanic or latino, or two or more races extraction. Hawai'i county is consistently ranked the worst in the state for health outcomes and health factors, with east hawai?i county residents experiencing the largest socioeconomic and health disparities in the county. The county experiences chronic shortage of doctors and limited access to care, which has significantly worsened in recent years due to the covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, hawai'i county was the hardest HIT by the provider shortage at 53% in the state, if island geography and population need is taken into account. In addition, the reduction in health care access has further expanded the GAP between those who have access to health care services and those who do not outside of a hospital's emergency room. As a result, access to health care services in our rural community has become even more critically urgent. The purpose of this project is to substantially expand access to comprehensive outpatient services in rural east hawai'i island by constructing a 50,000 square feet stand-alone comprehensive health clinic structure, called the KEA'AU campus, in KEA'AU, upper puna district. The KEA'AU campus will provide a wide spectrum of outpatient services from primary care, dental care, behavioral health, PH armacy, OB-GYN, physical therapy and rehabilitation, to health education and residency programs, among other specialty services not currently offered in the community. Total project will cost $51,094,300. This project funding will facilitate the KEA'AU campus construction planning and design phase of the project. The KEA'AU campus will expand healthcare access to a wide spectrum of health care services; create a significant number job opportunities and expanded healthcare training opportunities, both in the KEA'AU campus and with auxiliary companies; and reduce health inequities and disparities in our community.