A Caring Alternative to Expand

For Immediate Release

 A Caring Alternative to Expand at One North Square

$230,000 Building Reuse Grant Will Support Renovations

BURKE COUNTY, N.C. (December 19, 2017) – The City of Morganton has been awarded a $230,000 building reuse grant to support the renovation of One North Square. A Caring Alternative, a comprehensive care agency providing behavioral health and substance use disorder services, will expand in the 24,170-sq. ft. building and add 23 jobs. A Caring Alternative provides individualized whole person care, increases access to care, and improves health outcomes for individuals in Burke County who are uninsured or underinsured and/or who have complex medical and behavioral health conditions. Jobs to be created at the facility include a program manager, property manager, psychiatrist, an IT specialist, billing specialist, therapist and peer support employees. The company currently has 29 part-time and 132 full-time employees. A Caring Alternative will use the One North Square building to provide a one-stop access point to primary care, behavioral healthcare, and many other community services. In order to use the building, which was constructed in 1974, for mental health and medical space the HVAC, windows and lighting needed to be modified and updated. The Building Reuse program provides grants to local government units to support economic development activity that leads to the creation of new, full-time jobs and gives priority to projects located in the 80 most distressed counties in the state. This project falls in the Building Reuse Program’s Rural Health category, which requires new construction, renovation, or expansion of a health care facility with a NC licensure. The North Carolina Department of Commerce, Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina and Western Piedmont Council of Governments assisted with the project. About Burke Development, Inc. Burke Development, Inc. (BDI) is a nonprofit organization supported by private and public funding that is charged with accelerating economic growth in Burke County. BDI works with industry leaders, site selection consultants, government agencies and other entities to facilitate expansion strategies for existing businesses and recruit target industries to Burke County. For more information about BDI visit www.BurkeDevInc.com.

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