Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center Receives $350,000 Grant Award from Direct Relief's Fund for Health Equity

Ahoskie, NC: Dec. 12, 2022— Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center today announced it is among 71 awardees that received a grant from Direct Relief’s Fund for Health Equity, which mobilizes financial resources for organizations focused on non-clinical interventions that affect a person's health. Commonly known as the social determinants of health, these factors include an individual’s physical, social, cultural, and economic environment.

The grants, which total $22.7 million and will be disbursed over two years, were awarded with funding from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the AbbVie Foundation, and Eli Lilly and Co. to support underserved communities across the United States.

Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center received $350,000 from the Fund for Health Equity for its work to increase RCCHC’s reach via the Mobile Health Clinic. This award will support positions critical to its operation, including 1 Mobile Clinic Coordinator (practice manager), 1 Community Health Worker, 1 Medical Assistant and a part time Nurse Practitioner.  Kim Schwartz, CEO of RCCHC, said: “We’ve been in partnership with Direct Relief for many years. The emphasis of these funds to go where our people are that aren’t accessing care now; to be able to show up and address needs around health equity is so essential. To have a partner like Direct Relief really makes a difference. ”      

“The ongoing support we have received from Direct Relief has been pivotal in our ability to offer primary care services in parts of our region where residents have limited access to quality clinical care. These funds have allowed us to staff RCCHC’s mobile health unit with dedicated, highly trained professionals, most of whom are members of the communities we serve. Our mobile staff observe and provide ongoing feedback that allows us to improve and tailor our service offering to meet the needs of the community, said Jared Carter-Davis, Director of Infectious Disease and Mobile Health Services.  “Direct Relief funding also helps to support multiple free mobile health screening events held weekly throughout our service area in collaboration with dozens of trusted community partners.”

"We are pleased to bolster the indispensable work of Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center and other grassroots organizations striving to reduce disparities and increase equity in vulnerable populations across the United States," said Dr. Byron Scott, MD, MBA, Co-Chair of the Fund for Health Equity and Board Director of Direct Relief and Chair of its Medical Advisory Council. "It is a privilege to promote and support these organizations that are deeply connected to the communities they serve, know best what their patients and communities need, and the most effective means of providing it."

The organizations in the latest round of funding were chosen for their efforts to enhance workforce diversification, reduce health disparities, and expand innovative models of care. A full list of winners can be found here.

The awardees were selected by the Fund for Health Equity's Advisory Council, which includes the following members:

Co-Chair Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, 18th U.S. Surgeon General of the United States, Founder Bayou Clinic, Inc.

Co-Chair Byron Scott, MD, MBA, Board Director of Direct Relief and Chair of its Medical Advisory Council

Martha Dawson, DNP, MSN, RN, FACHE, President and CEO President of the National Black Nurses Association, Associate Professor the University of Alabama at Birmingham

Jane Delgado, Ph.D., MS, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health

Gail Small, JD, Head Chief Woman, a citizen of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe

Since the start of the Fund in 2021, more than $42.5 million has been provided to support 149 organizations across the U.S.