By Rebecca Adams, CQ Staff
Community health service centers will get another $338 million in economic stimulus funding as part of the approximately $137 billion in total funds provided to the Department of Health and Human Services, the agency announced Friday.
The centers, which typically provide basic and preventive health care to people who are low-income or uninsured, received $155 million in stimulus funds earlier this month.
The funds will help centers provide care to people who are facing tough times during the economic downturn, said Health Resources and Services Administrator (HRSA) Mary Wakefield. "More Americans are losing their health insurance and turning to health centers for care," she said. "These grants will aid centers in their efforts to provide care to an increasing number of patients."
The grants are going to 1,128 federally qualified health center grantees who will use the funds over the next two years. Centers that received the grants had to explain in their applications how they will use the funds to expand their services. Examples include adding new physicians or other providers, expanding hours of operations or expanding services. The agency estimates that the funds will provide care to an additional 2.1 million patients over the next two years, including about one million uninsured people.
Health centers served more than 16 million patients in 2007, about 40 percent of whom had no health insurance.
Community health service centers will get another $338 million in economic stimulus funding as part of the approximately $137 billion in total funds provided to the Department of Health and Human Services, the agency announced Friday.
The centers, which typically provide basic and preventive health care to people who are low-income or uninsured, received $155 million in stimulus funds earlier this month.
The funds will help centers provide care to people who are facing tough times during the economic downturn, said Health Resources and Services Administrator (HRSA) Mary Wakefield. "More Americans are losing their health insurance and turning to health centers for care," she said. "These grants will aid centers in their efforts to provide care to an increasing number of patients."
The grants are going to 1,128 federally qualified health center grantees who will use the funds over the next two years. Centers that received the grants had to explain in their applications how they will use the funds to expand their services. Examples include adding new physicians or other providers, expanding hours of operations or expanding services. The agency estimates that the funds will provide care to an additional 2.1 million patients over the next two years, including about one million uninsured people.
Health centers served more than 16 million patients in 2007, about 40 percent of whom had no health insurance.