Coastal Medical Access Project

The Coastal Medical Access Project (CMAP) was founded in 2002 by community leaders in Southeast Georgia committed to ensuring quality healthcare for all low income individuals and families without health insurance. The project provides a three-pronged course of action for those in need - Physician Services, MedBank, and Case Management.

CMAP's growth has been made possible by extraordinary commitments of time and talents, as well as generous financial support from many individuals, local businesses, churches and foundations. While much of our program depends on dedicated volunteers, a small expert staff is essential to the quality and success of the entire program.

Goodwin Community Health Center’s (DBA CMAP) is a non-profit 501 c 3 that developed from a community instituted strategic planning effort. The citizens in three coastal counties banded together to seek solutions to increasing access to healthcare in Glynn, Camden and McIntosh Counties. CMAP's mission is to provide pharmaceutical assistance, chronic disease case management and free access to primary health care for medically needy residents of Camden, Glynn and McIntosh Counties in Southeast Georgia. This is accomplished through collaboration among the medical community, faith-based organizations, local businesses and volunteers.

As a result of the ongoing community effort, a grant application in the amount of $185,242 was awarded in October 2001 to the Philanthropic Collaborative of Rural Georgia, “Access Project” to form an organization to provide safety net services for the uninsured and underinsured. At that time, there was no formal Board of Directors or incorporated entity. In January of 2002 the organization was incorporated and the 501 c 3 application process was initiated. The beginnings of a formal structure was emerging, guided by steering committee of community parties who wrote the grant and hired the Executive Director. The organization existed on paper and the charge to bring it to life was issued by the steering committee to the newly hired Executive Director hired on April 1, 2002. Financial systems were developed to enable the organization to receive and account for funds and conduct business necessary to carry on the program activities. Back to Top

The Bylaws of the organization were written with the assistance of the Executive Director, which were adopted by the Charter Board Members. The original steering committee had been reconstituted to form the core of the Board with additional members recruited to provide board diversity and to assure representation of all segments of the community. Partnerships were established with the faith-communities, housing authority, civic clubs, private businesses and industries in the Chambers of Commerce, Southeast Georgia Health System, Coastal Health District, local physicians, Dept. of Family and Children’s Services, school systems, etc. to assist the Project. A formal Board selection process was initiated to fill the additional Board positions and to assure cultural diversity. The Board currently has 15 members and has retained four vacancies to be filled from other locations or community constituencies as the organization grows.

A joint presentation to the Brunswick Housing Authority by the Executive Director and the newly elected Board Chairman resulted in the donation of space for a permanent administrative home for the organization and Medbank at the cost of $1.00 per year.

A nurse case manager was hired and in August 2002, the pharmaceutical assistance portion of services was begun. After numerous public presentations, a cadre of volunteers was established and services were undertaken. The initial work plan envisioned that there would be 250 Medbank patients accommodated by the end of the first year. However, as of August 1, 2003 there were 1,529 Medbank patients enrolled. Historical data shows an average of four and a half prescriptions per Medbank enrollee who completed the process and reported receiving their medications. Each Medbank patient who has received medications has averaging $1,200 per year wholesale price, including refills. Back to Top

Funding proposals, prepared by the Executive Director resulted in approximately $553,000 including funding from the Department of Community Health and three years of funding from the Coastal Health District totaling $168,000, and almost $385,000 in private grants. Additionally significant in kind contributions were solicited by the ED and received from several local businesses in the form of donated furniture, various services such as copier repair, telephone and server installation and medical supplies. Several members of the Board were enlisted in the solicitation of gifts. The local hospital, Southeast Georgia Regional Health System, donated a facility to be rehabilitated by the hospital into the permanent home for the Brunswick Free Clinic and provided a small temporary space for an evening clinic until the renovations are completed in mid 2004. Additionally, they donated space for a one-night per week clinic in Camden County. The Camden clinic opened first on February 4^th, 2003 and has served 210 patients over a 29-week period with 453 total visits. The Brunswick Clinic opening followed in the spring and has seen 137 patients in 16 weeks of operation for a total of 234 visits. Both clinics are only open one night a week due to space limitations. When the process is completed to bring additional space into service, the capacity for additional volunteers and hours will be increased from 7.5 hours currently to 16.5 hours, translating into an increased patient panel.

St. Mary’s United Methodist Church Foundation was a major contributor to CMAP with a special emphasis on the Camden Free Clinic. Application and presentation made to the United Way and its committees. As a result, CMAP became a United Way agency and received $5,000 in its first year. Later, the Brunswick Rotary Club adopted CMAP as their Millennium Project for 2004 and will be working to assist in the renovation of he Glynn County facility. Back to Top

It was essential that volunteers, both medical professionals and laypersons, be recruited to work in the Medbank and the two free clinics. Through constant presentations to civic clubs and medical groups, establishment of volunteer outreach committees and direct ads to the faith based community, CMAP through the Executive Director was able to attract a core of active volunteers. Additionally a Hispanic Outreach grant was written and received and a Hispanic Outreach Director was hired. She has made extensive overtures to the Hispanic community and a Health-status survey of 248 Hispanics representing almost 5% of the Hispanic community in three counties was conducted. Health fairs have been attended and outreach activities for the entire community have been undertaken. Numerous interviews conducted with print and electronic media by the Executive Director have resulted in wide recognition of the project and acceptance by the community.

Physicians have been attracted to the project from the three counties being served and the hospital has hosted monthly CME sessions necessary to attract retired and active physicians to volunteer in the clinics. A local philanthropist donated the use of his home for a reception to introduce the project to the medical community. This event resulted in the recruitment of 22 doctors to volunteer in the clinic. Additionally, the structuring of a series of Board sub-committees to focus on volunteers, medical advisory and consumer groups had matured into a steady resource for attracting volunteers. In the midst of the start-up of CMAP, Camden County suffered a devastating blow with the closure of the Durango Paper Mill in St. Mary's, one of the major employers. CMAP responded strategically by partnering with the local union to launch a clinic that provided access to these displaced workers who were unable to enroll for COBRA coverage because of the firm's bankruptcy filing. CMAP works with the Department of Labor at their Durango Response Center to process drug applications and the clinic originally established for the Durango employees actually became the first Free Clinic site awaiting the beginning of the renovation process for Glynn County's facility. After six months of operation, the community requested and funded the opening of the Camden Free Clinic to any Camden resident under 200% of poverty that was uninsured.

From the bold visionary beginnings that were germinated by several years of community discussion and planning, CMAP has been delivering services to patients for exactly one year since the first Medbank application was filed in August 2002. The organization has six full time employees and five part time employees to provide the continuity to the services provided by the one hundred and sixty one volunteers for five Medbank sites, two Free Clinics and a Chronic Disease Case Management program. There are 2036 Medbank patients served at community-based locations through the participation of 49 referring physicians’ offices. There are 285 active patients in the Camden clinic and 252 in Brunswick. There are 25 physicians and 36 nurses volunteering their time as well as 100 Medbank volunteers. Back to Top



		THE FOUNDING OF COASTAL MEDICAL ACCESS PROJECT (CMAP)

		Our Community Responds to the Healthcare Crisis:
		Written by Development Director Claire Wilcox, August 2003

		The Coastal Medical Access Project (CMAP) was founded in 2002 by community leaders in Southeast Georgia committed to ensuring quality healthcare for all low income individuals and families without health insurance. The project provides a three-pronged course of action for those in need - Physician Services, MedBank, and Case Management. CMAP's growth has been made possible by extraordinary commitments of time and talents, as well as generous financial support from many individuals, local businesses, churches and foundations. While much of our program depends on dedicated volunteers, a small expert staff is essential to the quality and success of the entire program. Goodwin Community Health Center’s (DBA CMAP) is a non-profit 501 c 3 that developed from a community instituted strategic planning effort. The citizens in three coastal counties banded together to seek solutions to increasing access to healthcare in Glynn, Camden and McIntosh Counties. CMAP's mission is to provide pharmaceutical assistance, chronic disease case management and free access to primary health care for medically needy residents of Camden, Glynn and McIntosh Counties in Southeast Georgia. This is accomplished through collaboration among the medical community, faith-based organizations, local businesses and volunteers. As a result of the ongoing community effort, a grant application in the amount of $185,242 was awarded in October 2001 to the Philanthropic Collaborative of Rural Georgia, “Access Project” to form an organization to provide safety net services for the uninsured and underinsured. At that time, there was no formal Board of Directors or incorporated entity. In January of 2002 the organization was incorporated and the 501 c 3 application process was initiated. The beginnings of a formal structure was emerging, guided by steering committee of community parties who wrote the grant and hired the Executive Director. The organization existed on paper and the charge to bring it to life was issued by the steering committee to the newly hired Executive Director hired on April 1, 2002. Financial systems were developed to enable the organization to receive and account for funds and conduct business necessary to carry on the program activities. Back to Top The Bylaws of the organization were written with the assistance of the Executive Director, which were adopted by the Charter Board Members. The original steering committee had been reconstituted to form the core of the Board with additional members recruited to provide board diversity and to assure representation of all segments of the community. Partnerships were established with the faith-communities, housing authority, civic clubs, private businesses and industries in the Chambers of Commerce, Southeast Georgia Health System, Coastal Health District, local physicians, Dept. of Family and Children’s Services, school systems, etc. to assist the Project. A formal Board selection process was initiated to fill the additional Board positions and to assure cultural diversity. The Board currently has 15 members and has retained four vacancies to be filled from other locations or community constituencies as the organization grows. A joint presentation to the Brunswick Housing Authority by the Executive Director and the newly elected Board Chairman resulted in the donation of space for a permanent administrative home for the organization and Medbank at the cost of $1.00 per year. A nurse case manager was hired and in August 2002, the pharmaceutical assistance portion of services was begun. After numerous public presentations, a cadre of volunteers was established and services were undertaken. The initial work plan envisioned that there would be 250 Medbank patients accommodated by the end of the first year. However, as of August 1, 2003 there were 1,529 Medbank patients enrolled. Historical data shows an average of four and a half prescriptions per Medbank enrollee who completed the process and reported receiving their medications. Each Medbank patient who has received medications has averaging $1,200 per year wholesale price, including refills. Back to Top Funding proposals, prepared by the Executive Director resulted in approximately $553,000 including funding from the Department of Community Health and three years of funding from the Coastal Health District totaling $168,000, and almost $385,000 in private grants. Additionally significant in kind contributions were solicited by the ED and received from several local businesses in the form of donated furniture, various services such as copier repair, telephone and server installation and medical supplies. Several members of the Board were enlisted in the solicitation of gifts. The local hospital, Southeast Georgia Regional Health System, donated a facility to be rehabilitated by the hospital into the permanent home for the Brunswick Free Clinic and provided a small temporary space for an evening clinic until the renovations are completed in mid 2004. Additionally, they donated space for a one-night per week clinic in Camden County. The Camden clinic opened first on February 4^th, 2003 and has served 210 patients over a 29-week period with 453 total visits. The Brunswick Clinic opening followed in the spring and has seen 137 patients in 16 weeks of operation for a total of 234 visits. Both clinics are only open one night a week due to space limitations. When the process is completed to bring additional space into service, the capacity for additional volunteers and hours will be increased from 7.5 hours currently to 16.5 hours, translating into an increased patient panel. St. Mary’s United Methodist Church Foundation was a major contributor to CMAP with a special emphasis on the Camden Free Clinic. Application and presentation made to the United Way and its committees. As a result, CMAP became a United Way agency and received $5,000 in its first year. Later, the Brunswick Rotary Club adopted CMAP as their Millennium Project for 2004 and will be working to assist in the renovation of he Glynn County facility. Back to Top It was essential that volunteers, both medical professionals and laypersons, be recruited to work in the Medbank and the two free clinics. Through constant presentations to civic clubs and medical groups, establishment of volunteer outreach committees and direct ads to the faith based community, CMAP through the Executive Director was able to attract a core of active volunteers. Additionally a Hispanic Outreach grant was written and received and a Hispanic Outreach Director was hired. She has made extensive overtures to the Hispanic community and a Health-status survey of 248 Hispanics representing almost 5% of the Hispanic community in three counties was conducted. Health fairs have been attended and outreach activities for the entire community have been undertaken. Numerous interviews conducted with print and electronic media by the Executive Director have resulted in wide recognition of the project and acceptance by the community. Physicians have been attracted to the project from the three counties being served and the hospital has hosted monthly CME sessions necessary to attract retired and active physicians to volunteer in the clinics. A local philanthropist donated the use of his home for a reception to introduce the project to the medical community. This event resulted in the recruitment of 22 doctors to volunteer in the clinic. Additionally, the structuring of a series of Board sub-committees to focus on volunteers, medical advisory and consumer groups had matured into a steady resource for attracting volunteers. In the midst of the start-up of CMAP, Camden County suffered a devastating blow with the closure of the Durango Paper Mill in St. Mary's, one of the major employers. CMAP responded strategically by partnering with the local union to launch a clinic that provided access to these displaced workers who were unable to enroll for COBRA coverage because of the firm's bankruptcy filing. CMAP works with the Department of Labor at their Durango Response Center to process drug applications and the clinic originally established for the Durango employees actually became the first Free Clinic site awaiting the beginning of the renovation process for Glynn County's facility. After six months of operation, the community requested and funded the opening of the Camden Free Clinic to any Camden resident under 200% of poverty that was uninsured. From the bold visionary beginnings that were germinated by several years of community discussion and planning, CMAP has been delivering services to patients for exactly one year since the first Medbank application was filed in August 2002. The organization has six full time employees and five part time employees to provide the continuity to the services provided by the one hundred and sixty one volunteers for five Medbank sites, two Free Clinics and a Chronic Disease Case Management program. There are 2036 Medbank patients served at community-based locations through the participation of 49 referring physicians’ offices. There are 285 active patients in the Camden clinic and 252 in Brunswick. There are 25 physicians and 36 nurses volunteering their time as well as 100 Medbank volunteers. Back to Top




Our Story • Services • Giving & Getting Involved • Contact Us • Newsletter • Program Dev • Special Responses • Important Links • Home

				Coastal Medical Access Project (CMAP) helps build healthier communities focusing primarily on Coastal Georgia through programs that increase access to healthcare.



	The late Francis X. Selgrath, Executive Director - April 2002 to February 2006.


	Ginger Buel, RN, began working with CMAP in July, 2003.


	The late Henri C. Woodman for whom the two free medical clinics are named.