A Healthy Opportunity – Fayette, MS
May 16th, 2017
Fayette, Mississippi, was once a small-but-booming town, home to factories that provided well-paying jobs and a Main Street lined with small businesses. Over the years, that bustling sense of energy has faded. Today, Fayette feels much more small than booming.
A bright spot in the town is Jefferson Comprehensive Health Center, a primary care facility that serves a community desperately in need of affordable health care. Shirley Ellis-Stampley has been with Jefferson Comprehensive
since its opening in 1971, working her way up from secretary to CEO, a position she’s held for more than 25 years.
“We treat 9,000 people every year. More than half of those people are uninsured, low-income or indigent, and some of them are very sick,” says Ellis-Stampley.
“If we weren’t here, a lot of those people would not have any kind of health care. We have assistance programs in place to help as many as we can. Jefferson Comprehensive is very much needed here in this little town.”
With the next closest healthcare facility 30 miles away, entire extended families in Fayette have grown up under the care of Jefferson Comprehensive. The clinic is also a major employer, providing jobs for 70 people.
Recognizing the key role Jefferson Comprehensive plays in sustaining Fayette both medically and economically, HOPE provided a $500,000 loan to help fund the construction of a new primary care clinic. HOPE was the only lender willing to provide what was regarded as a small capital investment – a “small” investment that will allow Jefferson Comprehensive to treat an additional 1,000 patients each year.
“I’ve lived in Fayette for 35 years, and this is the first new building I’ve seen here in all of that time,” says Patricia West, an elementary school guidance counselor and Jefferson Comprehensive client. “Our community is so proud of this facility. We know we will be cared for and cared about, right here in our community.”
“This is so important, to have a state-of-the-art healthcare facility right here in Fayette,” says kindergarten teacher J. L. Hammitte. “Jefferson Comprehensive is one of the pillars of our community.”
Many residents see the new clinic as a sign of optimism that goes beyond just health care. “It’s nice to know Jefferson Comprehensive is improving. That makes all of us in Fayette feel like we’re stepping up, not standing still or falling back,” says longtime client Mary King. “We need more opportunities for young people in our community. Opportunities to grow, to better themselves, and to become somebody. This new clinic could be the beginning of those opportunities.”
