2002.07.10:HHS Awards $55.8 Million to 131 Health Centers to Expand Medical Capacity at Existing Sites

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 10, 2002

Contact:

HRSA Press Office
(301) 443-3376

HHS AWARDS $55.8 MILLION TO 131 HEALTH CENTERS
TO EXPAND MEDICAL CAPACITY AT EXISTING SITES

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced 131 grants totaling $55.8 million to increase access to health care services for Americans in rural and inner-city areas as part of President Bush's long-term strategy to expand community health centers nationwide.

"Today's awards represent a major leap forward in President Bush's plan to increase the number of people served at health centers from about 11 million now to over 16 million by 2006," Secretary Thompson said. "Nearly a half million Americans are expected to benefit from these awards through greater access to comprehensive primary and preventive health services."

Expanding community-based health centers is a key element of the Bush administration's plan to increase access to care for the nation's most medically underserved individuals. Today's grants from the Expanded Medical Capacity Initiative are intended to expand primary health care services by increasing a health center's ability to serve more people and improve their health status.

Today's grants are part of the Consolidated Health Center Program, which funds a national network of more than 3,300 community health centers, migrant health centers, health care for the homeless centers, public housing primary care centers and school-based health centers serving more than 11 million low-income patients. HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) oversees the program.

America's community health centers, the largest part of the program, received grants to provide services for more than 424,000 people. The other awards include grants to support critical services and outreach for more than 48,000 migrant/seasonal farmworkers and families, more than 20,000 homeless individuals, and 1,500 residents of public housing.

For fiscal year 2003, the President's budget requests $1.5 billion for health centers - a $114 million increase that would provide services to a million additional patients next year. Nearly half of the patients treated at health centers have no insurance coverage, and many others have inadequate coverage.

The list of today's grant recipients is available at newsroom.hrsa.gov/releases/2002releases/EMC.htm.

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

HHS AWARDS $55.8 MILLION TO 131 HEALTH CENTERS TO EXPAND MEDICAL CAPACITY AT EXISTING SITES

HHS AWARDS $55.8 MILLION TO 131 HEALTH CENTERS
TO EXPAND MEDICAL CAPACITY AT EXISTING SITES