MacKenzie Scott donates $2.6 million to Southside Community Health Services
FILE - In this March 4, 2018, file photo, then-MacKenzie Bezos arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif. MacKenzie Scott gave $122.6 million to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the national youth-mentoring charity announced on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. The gift is the latest of several the billionaire writer has given to large national nonprofits that carry out their missions through local chapters in neighborhoods throughout the country. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has awarded Southside Community Health Services $2.6 million, the organization announced in a news release Tuesday.
The funds will go toward the creation of One Southside, a community health center at 1000 East Lake Street, the site of the Family Dollar that was destroyed in the civil unrest that followed George Floyd’s murder, the organization said. The health center will bring primary care to a community that lacks access to it — the organization says nearly all Southside patients are publicly insured or uninsured.
One Southside will break ground in mid-2024. In addition to primary care, the health center will offer x-rays, ultrasounds, mammography, care coordination, chronic condition management, MNsure patient navigation, early childhood development screening, high-risk obstetrics home visiting and nutrition counseling and classes.
“MacKenzie Scott’s investment with help us grow from serving 11,000 people per year to more than 18,000,” said Ann Cazaban, executive director of Southside Community Health Services. “Locating these much-needed services under one roof will alleviate barriers for families and provide a trusted place where they can get the high-quality care they deserve. We are deeply grateful for MacKenzie Scott’s investment in our vision.”
Southside Community Health Services said it is committed to improving the health of patients and communities regardless of their ability to pay.