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News Release

HHS CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN HEALTH CARE SAFETY NET
BY AWARDING $13 MILLION TO CREATE AND EXPAND HEALTH CENTERS

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced 42 grants worth more than $13 million to create new health center sites and expand capacity at existing centers in 23 states. The grants are expected to provide health care services for an additional 195,000 Americans.

The awards are the latest expansion under President Bush's five-year plan to add or expand health centers in 1,200 communities by 2006 and to increase the number of patients served annually to more than 16 million -- up from 10 million in 2001. In fiscal year 2002, the first full year of the President's initiative, HHS funded 171 new health center sites and awarded 131 grants to existing centers to help them build capacity and expand services.

"We intend to build upon last year's success and continue working hard toward our long-term goal of doubling the number of patients treated at health centers," Secretary Thompson said. "The President's plan will make sure more Americans get the prenatal care, checkups, preventive treatments and other services they need to get better or stay healthy."

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.

Today's grants include 20 New Access Points awards worth almost $8.3 million and 22 Expanded Medical Capacity grants totaling more than $4.7 million. 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 fiscal year 2002 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.

The list of grant recipients follows:

CHC - Community Health Center; HSHC - Healthy Schools, Healthy Communities; PHPC - Public Housing Primary Care

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

Last Revised: December 9, 2002