MOUNT AIRY, N.C., May 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SECU Foundation’s support of $750,000 for Surry Medical Ministries’ (SMM) newly expanded clinic, the SECU Health Resource Center, is good news for residents in Northwest North Carolina with little or no access to primary healthcare. The opening of the Center’s fully equipped medical office, inclusive of an ambulatory surgical center, will enable the non-profit to increase its capacity for the underserved by 20% in the first year, assisting an additional 600 to 800 eligible individuals in Surry, Alleghany, Wilkes, Stokes, and Yadkin counties.
“The impact of this project will be significant for many North Carolinians, including the more than 62,000 SECU members who reside in this area,” said Damian Carter, SECU regional senior vice president. “The expanded capacity and access to SMM’s services will help create a deeper connection within communities that will result in positive health and economic benefits for the people of this region. We are pleased to support their important work.”
The non-profit began as a small acute-care no-cost medical clinic in 1993 and has grown its healthcare services to accommodate more than 5,000 patient appointments since 2021. Surry Medical Ministries provides a wide range of healthcare services, telehealth visits to local farm workers, and is the primary care physician for a local women’s homeless shelter, two transitional care homes, and the direct healthcare provider for two former Foundation grantees, The Shepherd’s House and The Children’s Center of Northwest North Carolina.
“Our new larger capacity Surry Medical Ministries SECU Health Resource Center, designed for low-income patients, has already begun to pay dividends for our entire region in the first seven months since opening,” said Nancy Dixon, SMM president. “But most importantly, this clinic embodies the mission of SECU Foundation. Whether it is $1 at a time or one person helping another person, this clinic is creating a healthier more connected community. And our businesses cannot remain healthy and survive in communities without healthy people. This partnership between SECU Foundation and Surry Medical Ministries is a win-win for everyone. This is how good change happens.”
About SECU and SECU Foundation
A not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members, and federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), SECU has been providing employees of the state of North Carolina and their families with consumer financial services for over 85 years. SECU is the second largest credit union in the United States with $50 billion in assets. It serves over 2.7 million members through 274 branch offices, over 1,100 ATMs, Member Services Support via phone, www.ncsecu.org, and a Mobile App. The SECU Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization funded by the contributions of SECU members, promotes local community development in North Carolina primarily through high-impact projects in the areas of housing, education, healthcare, and human services. Since 2004, SECU Foundation has made a collective financial commitment of over $235 million for initiatives to benefit North Carolinians statewide.
Contact: Jama Campbell, Executive Director
Office: 919-839-5562 | secufoundation@ncsecu.org
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/da4721bf-0156-49d9-88ae-9745d815c2a8
