U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell announced Wednesday that over $260 million in funding will be dispensed to 290 health centers in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The funds are primarily for facility renovation, expansion, or construction.
Health centers will use the money to increase their patient capacity and to provide additional comprehensive primary and preventive health services to medically underserved populations.
The goal is for the winning health centers to renovate or acquire new clinical space to help provide care to over 800,000 new patients nationwide. This investment comes on the heels of the nearly $150 million awarded to 160 health centers for construction and/or renovation in September 2015.
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The funding comes from the Affordable Care Act's Community Health Center Fund, which was extended, with bipartisan support, in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015.
Since the beginning of 2009, health centers have added 6 million patients; they now serve nearly 23 million people each year. Currently, nearly 1,400 health centers operate about 9,800 service delivery sites in every U.S. state, D.C., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Pacific Basin.
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Burwell said in a statement that health centers are the "cornerstones" of their communities, while HRSA Acting Associate Administrator Jim Macrae said those communities will now be better served after the cash infusion.
A list of award winners can be seen here: http://bphc.hrsa.gov/programopportunities/fundingopportunities/hiip/2016...
Twitter: @JELagasse