Fort Bragg, CA – Mendocino Coast Clinics (MCC) recently received $48,551 based on the quality of the health care they provided in 2018 and $167,000 to expand behavioral health services. The quality award included $30,000 for MCC’s patient-centered medical home (PCMH) designation, $12,551 for their 15% improvement on clinical quality from 2017 to 2018, and $6,000 for their use of health information technology to increase access to care and to advance the quality of care between 2017 and 2018. The behavioral health expansion grant funding will allow MCC to provide additional services, including child psychiatry via video conference, often referred to as telemedicine.

Funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), MCC and other health centers like them will use quality awards to improve the quality, efficiency, and value of the health care they provide.

According to HRSA, “By providing patients access to high quality, value-based care, health centers are uniquely positioned to meet the nation’s most pressing health care needs, as well as emerging health priorities. HRSA-funded health centers are the first line of care in combatting the nation’s opioid crisis. In 2018, health centers screened nearly 1.1 million people for substance use disorder and ultimately provided medication-assisted treatment to nearly 95,000 patients nationwide.”

MCC provides a variety of healthcare services, including medication-assisted treatment for people struggling with substance use disorder. Other services include medical, dental and behavioral health care, as well as some specialty services such as chiropractic. MCC also creates special clinics within the broader service offerings to support special populations, such as BlueDoor@MCC for teens and OpenDoor@MCC for the LGTBQ community.

MCC Executive Director Lucresha Renteria said, “We’re really proud of the care we provide. It’s nice to receive additional federal funds so we can take care of even more people here in our community.”

Pictured: PA Dawn Hofberg and patient.