This is an archive page. The links are no longer being updated.

News Release

HHS CONTINUES HEALTH CARE SAFETY NET EXPANSION
Awards $4.9 Million to Create New or Expand Existing Health Centers

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced 13 grants totaling $4.9 million to create new health center sites and expand services at existing centers. Today's awards continue the health center expansion begun this fiscal year under President Bush's five-year plan to add 1,200 new and expanded health center sites and to eventually double the number of patients treated at them.

"The grants will expand the reach of the nation's network of community health centers and provide greater access to care to those most in need," Secretary Thompson said. "President Bush and I are committed to expanding services through community health centers nationwide as part of a broader strategy to help those Americans who lack health insurance. We urge Congress to fund the President's $1.5 billion request for health centers next year and keep our health center expansion plans on track."

Health centers deliver preventive and primary care to patients regardless of their ability to pay. Nearly half of the patients treated at health centers have no insurance coverage, and others have inadequate coverage. Charges for health care services are set according to income, and fees are not collected from the poorest clients.

HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) manages the Consolidated Health Center Program, which received more than $1.3 billion in fiscal year 2002. The program funds a national network of more than 3,400 community health centers and clinics, migrant health centers, health care for the homeless centers, public housing primary care centers and school-based health centers.

President Bush's fiscal year 2003 budget requested almost $1.5 billion for health centers -- a $114 million increase from the current year's allocation and about $280 million above the funding level of two years ago. The proposed increase for fiscal year 2003 alone would provide services to a million additional patients around the country.

Community health centers, the largest component of the consolidated program, received eight of the grants announced today. The other awards include three grants to support critical services for homeless individuals and families, one Migrant Health Center grant to support primary care services for migrant and seasonal farm workers and their families, and one public housing primary care grant for residents of public housing.

The list of grant recipients follows:

Program	Organization	City	State	New Access Point Location	Award
HCH-NS	Mobil Medical Office	Eureka	Calif	Eureka and Rio Dell, Humboldt County	$501,833
CHC-EXP	Plan de Salud del Valle	Ft. Lupton	Colo	Ft. Collins, Larimer County	420,500
HCH-EXP	Generations Family Health Center, Inc.	Willimantic	Conn.	Willimantic	38,900
CHC-NS	Fenway Community Health Center, Inc.	Boston	Mass.	Boston	383,492
CHC-NS	Rural Alliance for Better Family Health	West Plains	Mo.	West Plains, Howell County	390,977
CHC-NS	Ashland Community Health Center	Ashland	Mont.	Ashland, Rosebud County	290,650
HCH-NS	Ruth Meiers Hospitality House	Bismarck	N.D.	Bismarck, Burleigh County and Mandam, Morton County	328,961
CHC-NS	Hudson Valley Regional Diagnostic Medical Center, Inc.	Monsey	N.Y.	Monsey & Spring Valley, Rockland County	566,667
CHC-EXP	Community Action Committee of Pike County, Inc.	Piketon	Ohio	Jackson and Oak Hill, Jackson County	259,357
PHPC-NS	University of Pittsburgh, Dept. of Family Medicine, Matilda Theiss Health Center	Pittsburgh	Pa.	Pittsburgh	399,581
CHC-EXP	Gurabo Community Health Center, Inc.	Gurabo	P.R.	Trujillo Alto	194,397
CHC-NS	Regional Education & Community Health Services, Inc	Jacksboro	Tenn.	Campbell County	374,895
MH-EXP	Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic	Toppenish	Wash.	Silverton, Marion County, Or.	716,667
				Total	$4,866,877

HCH-NS=Health Care for the Homeless Program New Start; HCH-EXP=Health Care for the Homeless Program Expansion; CHC-NS=Community Health Center Program New Start; CHC-EXP=Community Health Center Program Expansion; PHPC-NS=Public Housing Primary Care Program New Start; MH-EXP=Migrant Health Center Program Expansion

###

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

Last Revised: October 04, 2002