President Bush’s proposed fiscal year 2002 budget for HRSA features an increase of $124 million for Community Health Centers, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson told reporters during the HHS budget press conference April 9.

Currently, 3,200 centers serve about 11 million patients each year.  President Bush wants to increase the number of centers by 1,200 and double the number of patients served to about 22 million by 2006, Secretary Thompson added.

The FY 2002 proposal also includes a $5 million increase for organ transplantation efforts -- which the Secretary called “a vital need for this country” -- and an additional $5 million for nursing workforce development programs.

Overall, HRSA’s FY 2002 discretionary budget authority would be $5.02 billion, about $557 million below the agency’s FY 2001 appropriation.

Among other major HRSA programs, the budget sets FY 2002 levels for the Ryan White CARE Act at $1.8 billion and funding for the Maternal and Child Block Grant and Healthy Start programs at $799 million.  Both amounts are at or near FY 2001 levels.