Macon Magazine

2 6 | M A C O N M A G A Z I N E . C O M A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 9 FIRST CHOICE PRIMARY C ARE TO EXPAND AND RELOC ATE DOWNTOWN SERVICES FIRST CHOICE PRIMARY CARE, a nonprofit community health center that provides quality healthcare to insured, uninsured and underserved individuals, has received a $150,000 grant from the Navicent Health Foundation. e grant will support renovations to First Choice Primary Care's new downtown location at 400 Poplar St. "First Choice Primary Care wants to be your first choice in managing your health," said CEO Katherine McLeod. "e new downtown location will give us additional clinical space to add more medical providers and new services. is expansion of services, as well as a prime location on the thriving Poplar Street block, will allow us to reach more people in our community who can benefit from our services." Purchase of the building was finalized April 1 with plans to fully occupy the space by the end of this year. e Poplar Street building is a 27,969-square-foot, three-floor office building that includes on-site parking and three entrances. e building will be renovated to include a comprehensive medical clinic, behavioral health services, meeting spaces, a laboratory and an on-site, public pharmacy. "First Choice works to improve local health outcomes with a community-needs focus, centered on the individuals it serves. is includes being a vibrant, viable part of the downtown Macon community with our expansion of clinical services," McLeod said. "We want to further explore hosting a neighborhood grocery store that sells fresh foods, which our medical staff will be able to prescribe to patients." Future plans also include the addition of vision and dental hygiene services. First Choice is seeking philanthropic support from local foundations to support the renovations and equipment needed for these and other potential new services. "We appreciate the support from the Navicent Foundation," McLeod said. "It's a reflection of the strong partnership we've built as we work together to improve the health of our community." First Choice currently provides care to more than 10,000 people at six locations in Macon and Warner Robins. More information can be found at firstchoiceprimarycare.org. Prospect grocer tenants can contact McLeod at 478-254-7204. – JESSICA WALDEN Give back during Black Philanthropy Month AUGUST is Black Philanthropy Month, a celebration of giving that highlights the contributions of black organizations and promotes increased financial support for those initiatives. A closer look at philanthropy overall shows that only 7-8 percent of foundation giving goes to people of color, according to Edgar Villanueva, author of Decolonizing Wealth. Moreover, despite the racial wealth gap, African Americans give at a higher rate and donate a larger share of their income to charities than any other group in the nation, according to the Brookings Institution. Black Philanthropy Month and Black Giving Day (Aug. 28) have been organized to change this dynamic. A primary focus is in our giving. Giving to black organizations not only enhances their ability operate, but it creates the opportunity of increased political imagination for communities that have long been excluded in many ways from wealth building. To value true community development in a city that is 60 percent black, invest in organizations that also reflect that dynamic. While this can feel like a paradigm shift, Macon has been a pioneer in the black philanthropy world. There are several long- standing black philanthropists who have given their time and talent to improve our communities. Ruth Hartley Moseley is perhaps the most well-known. A nurse by training, she was the first black nurse in Georgia serving at the health department in L O C A L B U Z Z m

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