A federal grant will help assure the future of a northwest Iowa health clinic. A grant of almost $600,000 was awarded to the Greater Sioux Community Health Center in Sioux Center. Center executive director Nancy Dykstra says the grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was badly needed.
“This center opened four years ago this summer initially with some state funding,” Dykstra says. “That funding dried up so we’ve been operating with patient fees and their payments, their party payments, small grants and community support.” She says the center has seen quick growth in its patient numbers.
“We have a base of about 3,000 patients and we expect at the end of this two years to have about 4,500 patients, that’s our target…and potential to grow beyond that,” she says. Dykstra says the center serves a growing population in the area.
“We serve the working poor,” she says. “This area has had a lot of economic growth but the growth comes from people doing a lot of entry-level jobs, jobs that don’t always have benefits and high pay. It’s that work force that we often serve.”
Dykstra says the grant will renew each year and will also allow them to add dental and other services.
By Jerry Oster, WNAX, Yankton