The County of Lexington receives national recognition for addressing rural healthcare disparities

The National Community Development Association is recognizing the County of Lexington with its 2016 Audrey Nelson Community Development Achievement Award.

Lexington County is the only community in South Carolina to receive this honor for 2016.  The award recognizes the County for its excellence in the use of Community Development Block Grant, or CDBG, funds administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In 2011 the County provided Eau Claire Cooperative Health $597,000 in CDBG funds for the construction of the Pelion Family Medical Center in Pelion, South Carolina. Prior to the construction of the facility, medical care for the residents of the region was difficult with the closest comprehensive medical facility to the region more than twenty miles away.

Lexington County Council Chairman Johnny Jeffcoat is very appreciative of this recognition;  “Its nice to be recognized, especially by an organization like the NCDA” said Jeffcoat.  “But even better is the fact that by working with community partners like Eau Claire Cooperative Health, a need was identified and a solution put in place to provide a better health care opportunity for our citizens”.

Initially the staff of Eau Claire Cooperative Health conservatively estimated that their medical professionals would provide services to some 1,000 residents annually.  Four years later the, center staff handles close to 6,500 medical visits annually.

• According to the scientific research/literature, rural residents are more likely to be uninsured and suffer from chronic conditions such as diabetes and to die prematurely.

• Additionally, fewer physicians are available to rural residents as  rural residents make up approximately 20% of the U.S. population with only 9% of  practicing physicians providing care in rural communities (Samuels, Xirasagar, Elder, & and Probst, 2008)

• Thanks to the County’s CDBG investment, the Pelion Family Medical Center is closing the healthcare gap which exists within this rural region.    The County is extremely pleased that our Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds are making a difference in our community.

Lexington County Community Development Director Charles Garren will participate in an award presentation of the National Community Development Association in Washington, D.C. on January 22, 2016.

* The National Community Development Association (NCDA) is a national nonprofit organization comprised of more than 300 local governments across the country that administers federally-supported community and economic development, housing and human service programs. Visit the NCDA website at www.ncdaonline.org

* Eau Claire Cooperative Health Centers are a non-profit, community health care system that has been offering healthcare for more than 30 years to the communities of Richland, Lexington, Newberry and Newberry counties. For more information, visit the Eau Claire Cooperative Health Website at www.ecchc.org