FERRIDAY &045; Riverland Medical Center recently received a $77,000 state grant that could help it land a center to provide primary health care services for those who can afford it least.

The grant from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals will fund a survey and other steps that must be finished by June for Riverland to apply to the U.S. Public Health for more funds to help establish a federally qualified health center.

An FQHC is a freestanding health clinic that provides a full range of preventive and primary care services for those who otherwise couldn’t afford health care, according to information from DHH.

Those usually include well-child services, acute care, perinatal care, family planning, laboratory and X-ray services, emergency medicine, dentistry and pharmaceutical services. Such clinics sometimes have social workers or mental health professionals as well.

&uot;In Concordia Parish, 5,600 people, or 29 percent of our population, make less than the federal poverty guidelines&uot; according to the latest Census, said Riverland Administrator Vernon Stevens.

That, he said, shows the need for indigent care in Concordia and surrounding parishes, which have been designated as a health professional shortage area.

Since many of the poorest patients also don’t have transportation to get to a clinic far away, having one in the area will be a help to them, Stevens said.

&uot;It’s another thing we can do to better health care in this community,&uot; he said. &uot;And it will take some pressure off the (Riverland) emergency room to provide some of the clinical care.&uot;

Preliminary figures also show such a clinic could employ up to eight people, including one or two new doctors, and have an economic impact of $300,000 to $500,000.

Health care plays an important role in the local economy, Stevens noted. In fact, Teresa Dennis, executive director of Concordia Economic and Industrial Development, was the one who set up the initial meeting about the possibility of landing the DHH grant.

What Riverland’s role with the clinic would be, except for landing the necessary grant lands, is still unclear. The clinic could not be located at the hospital but would need to be nearby so it could contract with Riverland for some services, such as x-rays.

Riverland is also discussing with an FQHC in Sicily Island the possibility of partnering to place such a clinic in Ferriday.