State and federal officials recently awarded $2 million worth of grants to One Health, with most of the funds intended to help the organization move into a new building in Powell.

One Health’s Powell clinic is currently spread across three downtown buildings, but the nonprofit is preparing to move into bigger quarters on the city’s eastern edge. The organization acquired the former Fitch Building — located across the street from Powell High School — last year; it has about 11,000 square feet of usable space, which is nearly quadruple One Health’s current quarters on Bent Street.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for the [Big Horn] Basin and our patients and the group we serve in the Basin,” One Health Chief Financial Officer Colette Mild told the Wyoming State Loan and Investment Board at its Oct. 5 meeting. Beyond having more room, “having a building specific to being able to treat people is imperative for the work we’re doing,” Mild said.

The state board — which is made up of the five statewide elected officials — awarded One Health nearly $2.65 million last year. At this month’s meeting, they unanimously awarded another $1.46 million to help with rising costs.

State lawmakers set aside $15 million to help projects that received board funding last year deal with inflation.

One Health was among 11 entities to secure additional funding from the board. Cody’s West Park Hospital District received another $614,055 to replace air handling units and remodel its centralized sterilizing and reprocessing department; West Park has now received just over $6 million in total.

All of the funds awarded by the board come from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), distributed through the state’s Health and Human Services Capital Construction Program. To qualify, applicants had to show their projects were “a direct and proportionate result to COVID-19 or its negative economic impacts.”

During the pandemic, Mild said the federally qualified health center conducted COVID tests, provided vaccines and worked to care for medically underserved members of the community. One Health offers primary care, behavioral health services and other resources for patients on a fee scale that varies based on the patient’s income.

“We do have people coming from all over — from Thermop[olis], from Worland, driving two hours to be able to be seen on our sliding fee scale,” Mild told the board. “We’ve made a huge impact in the Basin.”

Second grant

In addition to the boost from the State Loan and Investment Board, One Health was also recently awarded $583,547 from the state’s COVID-19 Health Disparities Grant Programs. The programs, which are being administered by the Align Team and the Wyoming Department of Health, are meant to “build up the health care infrastructure and address historical inequities in Wyoming communities.” Funding is drawn from a COVID-related relief bill that Congress passed in late 2020.

One Health plans to use that grant to update the flooring and paint at its Lovell clinic, produce a Big Horn Basin-wide educational campaign about its services and help complete the architectural design of the new Powell clinic.

“We are grateful to the State of Wyoming for financial assistance in support of furthering our mission to improve the well-being of everyone by providing accessible, quality health care for the whole community,” Mild said in a statement.

The Powell clinic opened in 2015 as Heritage Health Center, later adding locations in Greybull and Lovell. The center merged with Hardin, Montana-based One Health last year. In addition to working on the new Powell facility, Mild said the organization hopes to soon open a location in Cody.