Q. Will TOMAGWA remain a Christian Ministry with the freedom to practice its faith the way it always has?

A. Yes! TOMAGWA will continue to be led by the morality of Christians to care for the poor and sick. HRSA places no limitations or restrictions on faith, if it’s consistently communicated to all.

Q. Will TOMAGWA continue to prioritize care for the uninsured even though it will now accept Medicare and Medicaid?

A. Yes! TOMAGWA will still maintain complete control of its payor mix and ensure “those most in need” continue to be our priority. In fact, under FQHC guidelines, we will be able to treat a broader range of uninsured patients regardless of income.

Q. Once TOMAGWA becomes an FQHC, will there continue to be a need for community support, individual donors, fundraisers, and volunteers.

A. Yes! FQHC status will allow TOMAGWA to secure infrastructure cost for program delivery, which is typically difficult to obtain funding for. This means that when TOMAGWA becomes and FQHC, nearly 100% of donor dollars will go directly toward patient care. Additionally, more foundations and major donors prefer to support FQHC’s because they know sustainably funds are already secured.

Q. Will TOMAGWA have more restrictions on care once it becomes an FQHC?

A. No. TOMAGWA will now have more support to expand its current programs, like those for women and children, and offer new services like mental health, transportation, translation, and after-hours care.

Q. How will TOMAGWA’s board authority and governance change?

A. TOMAGWA will not only continue to have a board of directors composed of its community members, but 51% of the board will now also consist of patients to ensure quality and patient experience remain our focus.

Q. Does FQHC mean that TOMAGWA will now be a government clinic? How will things change for patients, volunteers, and staff once TOMAGWA becomes an FQHC?

A. No. TOMAGWA will remain a community-based clinic focused on meeting the needs of it current service area. FQHC simply means that TOMAGWA meets the quality and compliance standards required to compete for HRSA government grants. The average person will notice that TOMAGWA will have more clinical staff, supplies, and other resources to provide care for additional families more efficiently.

Q. I hear that once you start accepting government funding, the headache that comes with all the extra paperwork is not worth it. Does TOMAGWA have any experience with working with the government.

A. FQHC’s are part of a large community of support. HRSA developed FQHC’s to help clinics cover the cost of infrastructure and overhead necessary for running quality, safe programs. All required reporting comes with resources to employ staff or obtain contracts to achieve success. TOMAGWA’s current standards already meet a multitude of these requirements, as we have been a long-time research partner with several government driven programs, like Texas Vaccines for Children and Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, along with numerous grant partners who require similar detailed reporting.