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Organization Overview: History
Grace Community Health Center, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), DBA Grace Health, was founded in June 2008 with its first clinic location in Gray, Kentucky, followed shortly by a second clinic in Manchester, Kentucky. Since its inception, Grace Health has been dedicated to improving access to high-quality, affordable healthcare, establishing eight standalone integrated primary care clinics, one women's care clinic, one university campus clinic, 32 school-based health (SBH) clinics, and provider support to seven nursing homes across southeastern Kentucky counties including Bell, Clay, Knox, Laurel, Leslie, Owsley, and Whitley.
Grace Health has consistently expanded services to meet the community's evolving needs. The services include women's care, pediatrics, family practice, internal medicine, dental, behavioral, pharmacy, nursing home care, school-based health (SBH), outreach, and enabling services. The expansion efforts began in 2012 with the opening of the Leslie County clinic, made possible by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) New Access Point (NAP) grant. Expansions continued in 2014 with the acquisition of Women's Health Associates, PLLC, the area's largest women's care organization. Grace Health also utilized HRSA service expansion funding to add behavioral health services as a key strategy in building an integrated care model of service to meet patient needs.
Additionally, SBH services were introduced and have since thrived, encompassing 32 SBH sites across Leslie, Bell, Knox, and Whitley counties. These SBH sites mirror our primary care sites by offering medical, preventive dental, and behavioral health care to students in the areas. Grace Health's commitment to quality resulted in recognition as an early adopter of the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model of care by the National Council on Quality Assurance (NCQA) in 2015.
In 2016, Grace Health made significant strides by acquiring Barton, Watts, & Perry, P.S.C., the largest family medicine practice in the Corbin area. Concurrently, the organization utilized another HRSA NAP grant to establish a new clinic and SBH services, marking the first opportunity to serve the Pineville, Kentucky community. In 2016, the Leslie County clinic moved from Wooten to Hyden to increase access for a wider range of patients.
In the subsequent year of 2017, Grace Health acquired Turner, Whitley, & Morton Internal Medicine, PSC, the market's leading internal medicine practice. Additionally, the organization introduced its first in-house pharmacy location in Corbin during this period, increasing patient access to medications and prescription care coordination, and dedicated its first full-time providers to nursing home support.
In 2018, the expansion of women's care services continued with extensive renovations to create the region's largest Women's Care clinic. The same year witnessed the grand opening of the newly constructed Manchester Clinic, where all Grace Health services are provided under one roof, proving Grace Health's commitment to serving the community. A continued focus on integrated care resulted in the designation of Behavioral Health Distinction by NCQA. As a result, in 2018, Grace Health was featured nationally for excellence in integrated behavioral health.
In December 2019, Grace Health expanded patient access by acquiring Mountain View Family Practice, PLLC, marking the first opportunity to serve the Laurel County community. Following this milestone, in January 2020, Grace Health launched its first pediatric clinic in Corbin, KY.
Subsequently, in 2021, the organization expanded further by establishing a second clinic location in Laurel County, the Grace Health Levi Center Clinic, and opening another Whitley County site, the University of the Cumberlands (UC) Campus Clinic.
Recognizing the urgent need for access to dental care in Leslie and Clay Counties, dental services were added to the Hyden and Manchester locations in the fall of 2022 using grant funds provided by the America Rescue Plan Act.
In May 2023, Grace Health acquired Corbin Pediatric Associates, PSC, further solidifying the organization's commitment to excellence by creating the largest pediatric provider in the region.
In November 2023, the Grace Health Medical Campus opened for operations, marking a significant milestone in the organization's growth journey as it concluded its largest capital project. The transformation of an 88,000-square-foot former retail building into a state-of-the-art medical campus highlights Grace Health's dedication to providing integrated care with excellence to rural southeastern Kentucky.
This expansion consolidated five clinics into one location, providing patients access to all Grace Health services. With 85 exam rooms, 10 dental operatories, a pharmacy, and leased space to a local hospital partner for specialty and diagnostic services, the new facility accommodates all patient primary care needs. Furthermore, the new facility reinforces Grace Health's mission to address unmet medical, dental, mental health, and substance use treatment needs in Laurel, Knox, and Whitley counties. As a result of the strong commitment to service quality, Grace Health received recognition among all health centers nationally in 2023 as a Health Center Quality Leader, Access Enhancer, Health Disparities Reducer, and for Advancing Health Information Technology (HIT) for Quality.
Grace Health currently employs more than 480 community members, including a team of more than 65 providers. The healthcare teams and patient support staff collectively serve over 41,000 individuals annually. Grace Health's commitment to employee growth and development is noteworthy, evidenced by the establishment of Grace University, aka "Grace U," in 2017. Grace U is a training program where employees have earned over 320 certifications. This employee-centric commitment contributed to Grace Health's recognition in 2023 as Kentucky's first FQHC to receive the Best Places to Work (BPTW) award by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.
Throughout the organization's 15-year history, Grace Health has maintained its mission to show the love and share the truth of Jesus Christ to southeastern Kentucky, through access to compassionate, high-quality, primary health care for the whole person. Guided by a highly invested Board of Directors, made up of more than 80% patient members, and with the support of the Grace Health family and all its service area communities, the organization is committed to the mission.
