Mary’s Center Receives Emergency Funding from Direct Relief to Bolster the Healthcare Safety Net in the Washington, DC Region

Washington, DC, May 29, 2020 --(PR.com)-- Today, Mary’s Center announced an infusion of $50,000 in emergency grant funding from the medical aid organization Direct Relief, in partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) to continue frontline response efforts serving the most under-resourced individuals and families in the region.

Mary’s Center was among 518 federally qualified health centers to receive this financial support from Direct Relief’s $25 million COVID-19 Fund for Community Health, which recognizes the profound effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the finances, services, staff, and patients of community health centers.

“We are so appreciative of this generous contribution, which comes at one of Mary’s Center’s most dire financial times,” says Maria Gomez, President and CEO. “The funds will support increased purchase of personal protective equipment and COVID-19 testing kits for uninsured immigrant populations, as well as new technology to jumpstart our teledental services and cleaning supplies for our health centers.”

Since COVID-19 hit the DC metropolitan region in early March, Mary’s Center has performed nearly 3,000 COVID-19 assessments and 1,300 tests, resulting in over 640 individuals testing positive who are at different stages of quarantine.

“Access to primary care is what keeps people healthy and out of the hospital, and the frontline work of Mary’s Center and other nonprofit community health centers across the U.S. is more critical than ever with the onset of COVID-19,” said Direct Relief President and CEO Thomas Tighe. “Direct Relief is doing everything possible to bolster the work and support the staffs at the safety-net health facilities on which so many patients and their families rely for excellent care and trust for advice in this public health emergency.”

Nearly 30 million (1 in 12) of the country’s most vulnerable residents -- including 1 in 3 individuals living in poverty, 1 in 5 Medicaid beneficiaries, and 1 in 9 children -- rely on community health centers like Mary’s Center for their health care. That number is expected to rise as more people lose employer-sponsored insurance and become victims of homelessness and food insecurity.

“We are grateful for this critical and immediate support as Community Health Centers work hard to keep communities safe during an unprecedented pandemic,” said Tom Van Coverden, President & CEO of the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). “We are also deeply appreciative of our longstanding partnership with Direct Relief in these uncertain times and their efforts to ensure that health centers confronting multiple challenges in underserved communities have the resources when and where they need them. We know that many donors and contributors have helped to make this fund possible, and we further extend our appreciation to all of them.”