photo by: Mike Yoder

The new Heartland Community Health Center facility at 1312 W. Sixth St. is pictured in this photo from Oct. 2021.

Douglas County leaders will soon receive an update from leaders at Heartland Community Health Center and consider the center’s approximately $227,000 funding request.

As part of its meeting Wednesday, the Douglas County Commission will consider granting Heartland, which is a safety-net health care provider, an allocation of $227,003 for 2022. As part of the meeting, Heartland leaders will also provide the commission an update regarding actions that center has taken since the last time they met with commissioners to discuss concerns about leadership turnover and equity at the clinic.

The discussion began during the commission’s budget deliberations in June. At the time, commissioners questioned Heartland representatives about the departure of two top executives, former CEO Robyn Coventon and former COO Tiffany Lewis. Lewis later disclosed to the Journal-World that she had made a racial discrimination complaint against Heartland. In preparation for the commission’s consideration of Heartland’s funding request for 2022, center leaders met with the commission again in October, and Wednesday’s discussion is a follow-up on that discussion. People of color make up 30% of the center’s patients, and commissioners asked several questions about the center’s diversity and equity efforts.

Heartland has provided a report with various updates as part of Wednesday’s meeting materials. The full report is available as part the commission’s agenda, and some of the updates included in the report are as follows:

•Heartland will commence an 18-month diversity, equity and inclusion training on Feb. 7 that will include training for board and staff, coaching for leadership and development of an internal advisory group.

• As anticipated, Medicaid revenue improved dramatically with Heartland’s recent acquisition of Panda Pediatrics, increasing from about $1.96 million for Jan. 1 through Nov. 2020 to about $4.9 million for the same period in 2021.

•Heartland does not have race or ethnicity data regarding its staff, but as part of its diversity, equity and inclusion work will create a demographic database of its employees and of those who apply but are not selected. The report states the data will be one way to see how well the center is meeting its goals for more diversity of leadership, staff and board members.

•Heartland’s county funding would go to support a part-time medical assistant, a part-time nurse and a full-time primary care provider.

•Amid its move to a new building and other preparations, Heartland missed a monthly check-in with the county. The report states Heartland will commit to monthly meetings with county staff and be available for presentations to the commission as requested.

•Heartland needs to have further discussions with board members and its federal funding agency about having a county representative serve as a board member.

•Dr. Waco Goodnight has stepped down from his role as chief medical officer, and Lisa Russell, DNP, has been selected to fill the clinical lead role as chief clinical officer.

•Heartland’s board of directors selected a new CEO, Julie Branstrom, at its December board meeting.

The Douglas County Commission will convene at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the county courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St. Residents can participate in the meeting in person, virtually or via phone, and more information about those options is available at douglascountyks.org/commission/meetings.