HHS Awards Grants for Community Health Centers
HHS announced on March 27 that 25 community health centers will receive $11.3 million in grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration's New Start/Expansion grant program. With the funding, grantees in 17 states will be able to expand access to care for about 200,000 people by establishing or expanding new health care centers in medically underserved urban and rural areas. The amounts of the grants vary, based on each project's scope and service area size. Dr. Marilyn Hughes Gaston, HRSA associate administrator for primary health care, said, "The health centers receiving these grants serve communities that badly need more primary care services and that have many residents without health insurance. This year's grants will add about 100 new health care sites capable of serving one million needy Americans." HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson said, "Community health centers are the core of the health care safety net for underserved and uninsured Americans. Increasing the number of health center sites is a critical part of President Bush's pledge to strengthen the health care safety net in the United States." The agency will announce additional grantees in June and August (HHS release, 3/27).
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