Today, K.C. Belitz, director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED), joined leaders in Atkinson to celebrate the official unveiling of a new mobile health clinic. DED awarded $362,600 to the City of Atkinson through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program’s Emergent Threat funding opportunity to enable West Holt Medical Services (WHMS) to complete the clinic. The mobile clinic will provide onsite health services and free up hospital capacity during seasons of peak demand. It will regularly visit rural communities within the WHMS service area such as Atkinson, Bartlett, Chambers, and Stuart.
“I applaud the team at West Holt Medical Services for finding a creative way to make healthcare more accessible to communities in northern Nebraska,” said DED Director Belitz. “For earlier generations of rural Nebraskans, it was common for doctors to make house calls. This mobile clinic revives that model of convenient, local access to high-quality healthcare.”
During his remarks, Director Belitz praised the local cooperation that led to completion of the mobile health clinic. The City of Atkinson (grantee), West Holt Medical Services (service provider), and Central Nebraska Economic Development District (grant administrator) worked closely together to bring the project to fruition.
“The mobile medical clinic will prove to be an incredible tool in providing patient care in the underserved areas surrounding Atkinson and Stuart, and we are excited to begin with Chambers this spring,” said Jeremy Bauer, CEO of West Holt Medical Services. “We appreciate the great support from the Central Nebraska Economic Development District, the City of Atkinson, the State of Nebraska for the funding opportunity, and all of the team members at West Holt Medical Services who played key roles—from acquisition to implementation.”
“COVID changed the way we do things. West Holt Medical Services recognized that, partnering with the City of Atkinson to apply for this Community Development Block Grant for a new mobile medical clinic,” said Carla Kimball, executive director of Central Nebraska Economic Development District. “I am proud of the partnerships Central Nebraska Economic Development District has made with WHMS, the City of Atkinson, and Nebraska Department of Economic Development to make this mobile clinic a reality.”
In addition to funds for the WHMS mobile health clinic, DED has awarded CDBG – Emergent Threat grants to support the following healthcare projects in Greater Nebraska:
- Bloomfield Medical Clinic facility improvements in Bloomfield
- Four Corners Health Department improvements in York
- Northeast Nebraska Community Action Partnership capacity increase in Pender
- Northeast Nebraska Community Action Partnership improvements in Creighton
- Webster County Community Hospital improvements in Red Cloud