WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jack Reed today joined officials from the Thundermist Health Center in Woonsocket to announce a $1,000,000 federal grant to help significantly expand the health center, hire additional primary care providers, and offer increased access to necessary care for members of the community.

The federal grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Health Infrastructure Investment Program, will allow Thundermist to add 19 additional exam rooms to their existing facility in Woonsocket.  The grant will also help Thundermist hire six additional primary care providers and serve an additional 4,400 patients with primary medical care and behavioral health care in a family medicine, patient-centered environment.

The Woonsocket community currently faces a significant population of children, adults, and seniors who are in need of care and lack sustained access to primary care services in their area.  Currently the wait time for non-urgent new patients at this Thundermist facility is several months long, with as many as 70 patients per week attempting to join the practice.  The facility expansion and additional providers enabled by the federal grant will help address these barriers to access.

“This federal grant will be a strong shot in the arm for Thundermist as they work to meet the growing demand for quality, primary health care in their community.  Expanding and improving access to care is critical for public health and I commend Thundermist for their work to secure this federal funding to break down barriers to care for patients who need it most,” said Senator Reed, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“We are extremely pleased to receive this grant award,” said Chuck Jones, Thundermist Health Center CEO.  “Our existing building configuration does not allow us to adequately address the growing demand for services in the Woonsocket community.  The advent of the Affordable Care Act and the resulting increase in the number of insured patients has significantly expanded our need for additional space and staff to serve our patients.  We look forward to the opportunity to extend the high quality care we provide to so many residents of northern Rhode Island, to all who need us.”

The need for more primary care providers is not unique to Woonsocket.  According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, by 2025, there will be a shortage of up to 90,000 physicians nationally.  Approximately one third of the shortage, up to 31,100, will be in primary care.  Earlier this month, Senator Reed took steps to address the impending doctor shortage by introducing bipartisan legislation to strengthen and expand the health care workforce.  Reed’s Building a Health Care Workforce for the Future Act would make it easier for students to pursue careers in health care, with an emphasis on primary care, and encourage providers to work in medically under-served communities and practice areas of highest need.

Thundermist was founded in Woonsocket in 1974 and serves a diverse population offering primary health care services to the people who need it most.  Many of Thundermist’s patients struggle with transportation problems, behavioral health issues, unemployment or underemployment, and many other issues.  In 2014, nearly 10% of Thundermist's 42,000 patients were uninsured.

-end-