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News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, Sept. 9, 2005

Contact: HRSA Press Office
(301) 443-3376

Secretary Leavitt Announces Advance of Health Center Funds to Hurry Services to Hurricane-Affected Areas

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced the federal government will speed up the award of grants to establish 26 new health center sites in areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Approximately $2.3 million in fiscal year 2005 funds to these sites will get health care resources up and running quickly in disaster areas and neighboring states treating evacuees from the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast.

�Because thousands of families and individuals are without even minimal health services in the affected areas, we want to get them on the road to recovery right now,� said Secretary Leavitt. �To do that, we are moving up the initial delivery of these 26 grants to September from December as originally scheduled.�

The funds will go to nine sites in Texas, five in Louisiana, four each in Florida and Oklahoma, two in Georgia and one each in Mississippi and Tennessee. The organizations that will receive the funds already won grants to create new health centers through a competitive application process, but the initial distribution of funds was set for December.

HHS� Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) manages the Consolidated Health Center Program, which funds a national network of more than 3,700 clinics comprised of community health centers, migrant health centers, health care for the homeless centers and public housing primary care centers.

�Our goal is to get services to folks who need them most. It�s the old adage of �neighbor helping neighbor� during challenging times,� said Elizabeth M. Duke, HRSA administrator.

(The 26 grantees that will receive the funds were included in an April 11, 2005, HHS press release that announced the award of 105 new health centers grants to organizations across the country: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2005pres/20050411.html.)

The list of grant recipients follows

New Access Point Health Center Grantees Receiving Accelerated Funding
Organization	City	State	Award
Hernando County Health Department/Nature Coast Community Health Center	Brooksville	Fla.	$650,000
Fellsmere Community Health Coalition, Inc.	Fellsmere	Fla.	628,684
Osceola County Health Department/Primary Care Medical Services of Poinciana	Kissimmee	Fla.	504,457
PanCare of Florida	Panama City	Fla.	650,000
Primary Care of Southwest Georgia	Blakely	Ga.	650,000
Valley Healthcare System, Inc.	Columbus	Ga.	877,555
Primary Care Providers for a Healthy Feliciana	Clinton	La.	650,000
Innis Community Health Center	Innis	La.	775,000
Primary Health Services Center	Monroe	La.	858,333
Catahoula Parish Hospital District No. 2	Sicily Island	La.	666,667
Tensas Community Health Center	St. Joseph	La.	400,000
Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative	Hattiesburg	Miss.	733,333
Kiamichi Family Medical Center	Battiest	Okla.	900,000
Pushmataha Family Medical Center, Inc.	Clayton	Okla.	650,000
Fairfax Medical Facilities	Fairfax	Okla.	650,000
Community Health Connection	Tulsa	Okla.	650,000
Chota Community Health Services	Vonore	Tenn.	650,000
Shackelford County Community Resource Center	Albany	Texas	650,000
Alvin Community Health Endeavor	Alvin	Texas	650,000
Fort Worth Northside Community Health Center	Fort Worth	Texas	650,000
Spring Branch Community Health Center	Houston	Texas	650,000
Northeast Community Health Clinic	Houston	Texas	650,000
Fourth Ward Clinic dba Good Neighbor Healthcare Center	Houston	Texas	650,000
Midland Community Healthcare Services	Midland	Texas	650,000
Pasadena Health Center	Pasadena	Texas	622,550
El Centro del Barrio	San Antonio	Texas	271,223

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last revised: September 9, 2005