WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson announced the Dickinson Center Building Project in St. Marys as the recipient of a $750,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).

This funding will consolidate several community and health services in Elk and Cameron counties into one new downtown facility that will provide thousands of residents with access to efficient care and services.

“Having spent nearly 30 years in healthcare, I am passionate about improving access to high-quality care in our communities,” Thompson said. “This updated, modern facility in the greater St. Marys region will aid healthcare workers in providing quality care to combat our nation’s mental health crisis and offer other critical services to the community. I am proud to support this project and look forward to improved services for patients for years to come.”

Jim Prosper, executive director of Dickinson Center, was pleased with the news.

“Dickinson Center is thrilled that the ARC Area Development Grant was awarded to the City of St. Marys to support Dickinson’s St. Marys Building Project,” said Prosper. “We are incredibly grateful to the city and to Congressman Thompson and his team for their support of our building project in downtown St. Marys. Our new building will allow us to centralize our services in St. Marys and improve access to behavioral health services in our rural area.”

ARC is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 423 counties across the Appalachian region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity, strengthen economic growth in Appalachia, and help the region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.

Combined with $3 million in state funding and more than $4.1 million in local funding, the total project will result in more than$7.8 million in local economic development.