CULLMAN – The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) announced today that Gov. Robert Bentley has awarded a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) in the amount of $100,000 to help bring new health-care-related jobs to Cullman.
The grant will help the city prepare a 15,000-square-foot facility at Cullman Industrial Park 3 for a new call center and medical consultation facility for Sequence Health, a Georgia-based company that specializes in patient engagement and health-care management systems. The center will create 20 new jobs initially and up to 128 jobs in the next five years, company officials said.
Sequence Health announced their planned move to Cullman back in October at a press conference on the campus of Wallace State Community College, where the company has been operating out of the Bailey Center since August.
The company’s self-described “boutique healthcare contact center” is slated to open by Aug. 1, 2017.
“We evaluated several locations in the Southeast before concluding that Cullman was right for us,” said Sequence Health CEO John Richmond. “We were impressed with the city leaders, the people here and their passion for the community. We can’t wait to put down roots here.”
“Job creation remains my number one priority, and this grant will provide new employment opportunities now and in the near future,” Bentley said. “I am pleased to play a role in this project to bring these new jobs in a growing field to residents in the Cullman area.”
The grant will help with site preparation, add retention ponds and make needed water and sewer upgrades for the new facility, according to a media release from ADECA.
Sequence Health will employ nurses and customer service representatives to assist the doctors’ offices and medical facilities that contract with them and their patients. City officials said the company will work closely with the School of Nursing at Wallace State Community College to fill many of the new positions.
ADECA is administering the grant from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. ADECA administers an array of programs supporting law enforcement and traffic safety, economic development, energy conservation, water resource management and recreation development.
“The Community Development Block Grant program is one of the best examples of how ADECA works with local leaders on projects to improve the lives of residents,” ADECA Director Jim Byard Jr. said. “ADECA is pleased to partner with Mayor Woody Jacobs and the city of Cullman to bring these new and needed jobs to the area.”
“It’s always great to receive help and support from the state in our efforts to create jobs,” said Jacobs. “Partnerships are important.”
Bentley notified Jacobs that he had approved the grant. The city has committed matching funds of $50,000 toward the project.
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