WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – The New Hanover Community Endowment announced $6.5 million in grant funding on Thursday.

One of the recipients is St. Mary Health Center, which was awarded a $60,000 grant despite ongoing questions about its future.

St. Mary Health Center is the only place in Wilmington that offers free, emergency dental care to low-income patients.

This funding will ensure they are not only able to continue those services but expand them.

Executive director Laura Vinson says the hope is they will use the money to hire a part-time assistant, which will allow them to see more patients.

The center currently sees about 1500 patients a year.

The funding comes at a time when the future of the center is uncertain, as the center was told to vacate the property they’ve called home for decades by July 1.

While the center remains open, they’re looking to relocate to a new facility.

Vinson says the money could go to relocation costs, but right now they don’t have a place in mind.

“This is going to allow us to be able to increase capacity to the clinic and this will reflect the first increase in funding…a significant funding…since we reopened 16 years ago,” Vinson said.

The center’s board will ultimately decide how the grant money is spent and that hinges on where the center continues to operate.

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