2 Southern Arizona Nonprofits Awarded Grants To Improve Rural Health Care

© Copper Queen Community Hospital Copper Queen Bisbee Community Hospital

Two non-profit organizations in Southern Arizona received funding from the USDA to help improve health outcomes in rural areas. Historically, rural Arizona cities have been under-resourced and residents have faced many barriers to accessing health care.

In total, two nonprofits—Campesinos Sin Fronteras and the Copper Queen Community Hospital Foundation—have received more than $11 million to upgrade medical equipment and facilities through USDA Rural Emergency Medical Care Grants. Funding comes from a $110 million grant to upgrade healthcare facilities in rural towns.

Funding for these grants comes from the U.S. Rescue Plans Act, passed in March 2021.

Start your day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox every morning.

“Access to a modern and sustainable healthcare infrastructure is critical to the health, well-being and prosperity of millions of people in rural and tribal communities,” Xochitl Torres Small said in an October 12 press release. He served as Deputy Minister of Small Rural Development.

The Bisbee Copper Queen Community Hospital Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports the Copper Queen Community Hospital and its rural clinics, has received $11 million to upgrade its equipment and facilities.

Another Southern Arizona nonprofit, Campesinos Sin Fronteras, a Yuma-based nonprofit that provides services to farm workers, received an $82,500 grant to renovate and equip a building in Gadsden to serve the Lever District.

The Copper Queen Community Hospital has received two awards, one for state-of-the-art medical equipment and the other for expanding its surgical capabilities and services. The building will be two stories and 22,000 square feet.

The portion of the existing building not leveled for construction will be repurposed to expand the outpatient services and education center.

Danielle Buchever, a registered nurse and member of the board of trustees, said the funds are critical to helping the hospital achieve its goal of improving services to provide on-site care.

“Our goal is to make sure people don't have to leave their neighborhoods to access quality health care,” Buchever said.

The urgent need for more capacity was highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic when hospitals were overwhelmed, causing critically ill patients to be referred to a larger hospital in Tucson, which would normally have been a BSB hospital.

This means that patients are sicker and stay longer in the hospital, which creates problems for hospitals. For example, converting a hospital emergency room to an intensive care unit requiring more complex medical procedures requires an advanced pump.

The grant provides hospitals with $1 million to purchase upgraded equipment and supplies, including smart pumps that will connect to their patient tracking systems and allow multiple fluids and medications to be administered to patients at the same time.

The need to expand surgical services arose from an agreement between the hospital, four other critical access community hospitals, and Tucson Medical Center. Together they set to work to expand telemedicine services in their rural communities.

The management of the Copper Queen Community Hospital realized that if telemedicine services improved, their services also needed to be improved as patients needed more care.

With additional surgical units, hospitals will be able to "deliver services within the community rather than sending people far away for treatment or services," Buchever said.

Maintaining local care and improving facilities and equipment can help recruit and retain health professionals.

Buchever also stressed how grateful he is for the hospital's funding and how helpful the USDA was in getting the foundation's grant.

“We couldn’t have done it without them,” he said.

Southern Arizona coverage on azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic is funded by the nonprofit Reports for America in partnership with The Republic.

Contact a correspondent at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com.

This article was originally published in Republic of Arizona: 2 Southern Arizona Nonprofit Grants for Rural Health Improvement.

Fast Reward Donations approved within 48 hours 70,000 housing grants