Neighborhood Family Practice (NFP), a federally qualified non-profit community health center serving patients from five office locations on Cleveland’s near west side, was recently awarded more than $1 million in Affordable Care Act funding from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HSS).

“The HHS funds go hand in hand with what NFP has been doing for more than 30 years, which is providing quality primary health care services to those who need it most on Cleveland’s near west side,”says Jean Polster, president and CEO of NFP. “We’ll now be able provide expanded services to even more patients, including many who have become insured through the Affordable Care Act.”

In Spring 2014, NFP received an initial grant for operational funds to open an office in the Bellaire-Puritas neighborhood in Puritas Park Plaza (at 14037 Puritas Ave., next to Family Dollar). New funds just awarded in the amount of $1 million will be used to renovate a stand-alone building that will house anew and expanded NFP Puritas health center, located within a half-mile of the current office. Once complete, the new location will allow NFP to serve a larger volume of patients with a larger staff, more exam rooms and behavioral health offices.

The planned renovations and floor plan will ensure that NFP creates a Puritas health center facility that supports team-based care and implementation of a patient centered medical home model. NFP will continue to serve patients from its current Puritas location, with a goal of having the new building up and running within two years.

NFPalso received additional funding of nearly $277,000 to be used to expand nurse midwifery services. “Infant mortality is a priority public health issue in Ohio and rates for Cleveland’s neighborhoods are dramatically high, with poor health status, high rates of prematurity and smoking among pregnant women contributing to these poor outcomes,” says Julie Kellon, CNM, MSN, an NFP certified nurse midwife. “Women’s health services are acore component of NFPs services, including a growing midwifery program utilizing a CenteringPregnancy® program along with family planning, well womancare and gynecology.”

In 2014, NFP served 440 perinatal patients and more than 4,600 women age 18-44. A strategic plan developed in 2015 includes plans to expand the midwifery program to provide more access and choice for women. “The expanded services award from HHS will accelerate our ability to implement this plan,” says Kellon.