Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Friday the agency will award $727 million to 143 community health centers nationwide.
The funding will be used to address pressing construction and renovation needs and expand access to quality healthcare, according to Sebelius. The funds are the first in a series of awards that will be made available to community health centers under the Affordable Care Act.
According to Sebelius, community health centers serve nearly 19 million patients, about 40 percent of whom have no health insurance. They deliver preventive and primary care services at more than 7,900 sites around the country to patients, with charges for services set according to income.
"There is no question that the economic downturn has made it harder for some Americans to get healthcare and important preventive services," Sebelius said. "Community health centers provide quality healthcare services to Americans across the country but are a lifeline for those who have lost coverage or are between jobs. These funds from the Affordable Care Act will help get more people care in some communities where there have not been many options in the past."
Sebelius said newly constructed or expanded community health centers will provide care to an additional 745,000 patients and offer much-needed employment opportunities in rural and urban underserved communities.
The Capital Development program grants, administered by the HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration, will support major construction and renovation at 143 community health centers nationwide, according to Sebelius. This builds on the more than $2 billion investment in community health centers in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
"Many of these community health centers need more modern space to meet the increasing patient demand for services," said HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield. "These funds will help community health centers build new facilities and modernize their current sites in their continuing effort to provide the best care possible to more and more people in need."
Over the next five years, the Affordable Care Act will provide $11 billion in funding for the operation, expansion and construction of community health centers across the country. This will help community health centers to serve nearly double the number of patients receiving care, Sebelius said.