The Mustard Seed Community Health Clinic will buy a permanent building, tripling its now-cramped space, with the help from a $100,000 grant from a Black philanthropy group that believes in the power of collective giving.
The grant from the Black Investments in Greensboro (BIG) Equity Fund to expand access to healthcare, comes as the medical clinic faces a growing number of uninsured and underinsured individuals in need of primary and behavioral health care.
“Access to healthcare is a public health priority that impacts our entire community—not just those who can afford it,” said Mae Douglas, the fund’s steering committee chair. ‘This grant reflects our fund’s commitment to ensuring that every resident, regardless of race or income, can receive the care they need.”
The new building allows the medical clinic to serve more patients but also consolidate all services under one roof.
It has an industrial kitchen, dedicated classroom space, eight medical exam rooms, a laboratory, a medication and vaccine storage area, and administrative offices. The clinic is now operating out of converted house it rents.
“I literally screamed, then cried and then we all did a happy dance,” said Christine Ringuette, the clinic’s executive director.
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A statewide 2023 Altarum/Healthcare Value Hub survey reported that 62% of Black/African American respondents and 70% of Hispanic/Latino respondents said that they had gone without medical care due to cost in the past twelve months, according to Blake Noel, director of grants and initiatives for the community foundation.
“Mustard Seed Community Health Clinic has a proven history of providing compassionate, high-quality care to those who need it most,” Noel said. “Their holistic approach to health—addressing not only medical needs but also social determinants—aligns perfectly with BIG Equity Fund’s mission to advance equity and improve outcomes for historically marginalized communities.”
BIG is the first permanent endowment of its kind in Greensboro, and believed to be one of a few across the country. It focuses on strengthening the Black community, which benefits the whole community, they say.
The board includes Black volunteers and donors like Douglas and Dr. Henry Smith, a past chairman of the Cone Health Board of Trustees, attorney Kim Gatling and Mac Sims of East Greensboro NOW, along with business owners and others.
Organizers aim to reduce disparities with the money going to issues critical to them, such as health care, the digital divide and small business development. And hopes and dreams, too.
The foundation joins another high-profile group, the United Way of Greater Greensboro’s African American Leadership Initiative, in specifically targeting Black philanthropy.
Ringuette says that accessible healthcare is a factor for a strong community.
“I think that’s the glue that’s important for everybody to have the life they deserve,” Ringuette said.
Nancy.McLaughlin@greensboro.com
336-373-7049
@nmclaughlinNR
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