United Way of Brazoria County has awarded $75,000 to the Brazosport Medical Center for the expansion of the agency’s programs to the communities West of the Brazos. The facility will be located in the former Brazoria Elementary School on Smith Street, which is owned by the Brazoria Heritage Foundation. The funds were made available through United Way of America’s Hurricane Response and Recovery Funds to support long-term disaster coordination in those communities responding to the needs of displaced individuals affected by the storms.

Stephanie Cone, United Way of Brazoria County executive director, said one of the most pressing needs facing individuals displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita has been access to affordable healthcare.

"Prior to the arrival of new residents to Brazoria County, it had been documented by a variety of sources that Brazoria County had vulnerable populations that faced barriers to healthcare, and the lack of preventative services was evident within western Brazoria County," she explained. "As a result, with an influx of individuals from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama into the county the limited healthcare services already in place were stretched beyond capacity."

The Brazoria Heritage Foundation agreed to lease space to the Medical Center; however, the building was not compliant with medical requirements. The new site improvements will house three exam rooms and faculty space. The renovations are scheduled to be complete in October. The Medical Center will also continue to see clients at their Freeport location at 905 N. Gulf Blvd.

The Medical Center accepts Medicaid and Medicare, although anyone may use the Center’s services. Client surveys at the agency’s Freeport site indicate that 80 percent of the patients, many who are economically disadvantaged, would not have access to healthcare if the Center did not exist.

The Medical Center is one of several additions the Brazoria Heritage Foundation has helped to make possible at the former school. Also on site are a community museum, an auditorium, and a conference room. In the future, the school will house space for the West of the Brazos Art League, Masterson Plantation history, Brazoria Telephone Company history, black history and environmental history and nature instruction. The Foundation also hopes to renovate the old gym into a community recreation center.

"United Way is pleased to provide funding to enhance the partnership between the Brazoria Heritage Foundation and the Medical Center," said Cone. "The expansion of preventative and affordable healthcare services will bring lasting community change for the entire western area of Brazoria County and others in our county needing the Center’s services."